


The Key To Everything

by RoseIsRelatable



Series: The Key [4]
Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Rose's WeUs universe, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, some drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 54,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23097838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseIsRelatable/pseuds/RoseIsRelatable
Summary: It's been a month since Dongmyeong confessed, and MyeongWook (as Yonghoon has dubbed them) is thriving. Secretly. But love is a wild ride. Who knows what surprises lie ahead for our young lovers?
Relationships: Lee Giwook | Cya/Son Dongmyeong
Series: The Key [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664293
Comments: 214
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be heavily reader-influenced. If you guys want it to get smutty, we can get smutty. (I always write explicit sexual stuff in bold font so it's easy to spot and skip if you want to.) Or we can keep it semi-innocent and I'll quarantine all the dirty stuff in a separate E-rated book for those interested. Anyway, so begins the sequel to the one-shot, The Key To My Heart. Read that one if you want to know how MyeongWook got together.

Dongmyeong ~*~

 _Tug._ Someone was pulling my hair. _Tug, tug._ “Yah,” I hissed. _Tug._ “Yah!” I snapped, louder this time. “Ju-yah, I swear to God I will call Mom and tell her you’re driving me crazy!”

“Aww, come on,” my younger twin complained. “I haven’t seen you in a month! I have so much annoyance to catch up on.” _Tug._ I swatted his hand away. “Ah, Myeong-ah! What if you hurt me and I can’t dance?”

“You already can’t dance,” I teased. A playful smirk painted my lips as I started prodding and smacking my little brother. 

“Ah, it’s not fair! It’s not fair!” Dongju whined, trying to block me. He failed and my fingers jabbed into the ticklish spot on his side. “IT’S NOT FAIR!” he wailed.

“What’s not fair?” I laughed.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

“Whatever. Tickling you!”

“No!” Dongju cried. “Giwook! Come control your boyfriend!”

Giwook approached us, taking his time, sipping a strawberry smoothie he bought at the company cafe. “I don’t control him,” he said as he wrapped his lips around the straw. He took a long sip. “He does what he wants. I’m just glad to be along for the ride.” He smiled at me. I melted and forgot to torture my brother. “You should maybe avoid yelling ‘boyfriend’ too loudly though. In this practice room is fine, but imagine if we were outside.”

“Ugh, idol life,” Dongju grumbled sarcastically. “God forbid you guys are happy together.”

It had been almost a whole month since my confession and our first kiss, and still nobody outside of WeUs knew about Giwook and me. Yonghoon had insisted on throwing us a coming out party. Basically, all that amounted to was us inviting all of ONEUS to our apartment, feeding them, and announcing we were in a relationship. They took it better than I had expected, I guess. Always plan for the worst but hope for the best, especially when you’re coming out. But we didn’t hear any backlash from anyone.

Our parents still didn’t know. Perhaps more importantly, our fans had no idea.

Hwanwoong stepped through the door to the practice room in sweats and a baseball cap, a white towel thrown over one shoulder. “Hey!” he greeted with his trademark tiger grin. “Did you guys come to watch, or you want me to teach you something?”

“Oh God, no!” Giwook begged, backing up into the corner. “Please, don’t teach me! Hyung, I can’t keep up with you!”

“You can!” Hwanwoong protested. “You could use a little exercise, anyway.”

“Hey!” Giwook half-shouted, half-squeaked.

“You play a lot of Pokemon, my friend,” Hwanwoong teased. “If you’re here to watch us practice for the comeback, you have to turn your phones off and put them somewhere you can’t reach them. It’s all super top-secret, you know!” He waggled his fingers. “Woo, secrets! Mystery!”

“You’re weird,” I deadpanned.

After watching ONEUS for a while, Giwook and I decided to walk back to the apartments. We had the whole day off, and he suggested we spend it trying to destroy each other at Mario Kart. We rode the elevator up to what always seems like the gazillionth floor. You’d think fit, young pop stars would be fine with using the stairs. You would be wrong. 

Giwook slipped his hand into mine as the elevator ascended. “So, tomorrow…” he began.

“I want to go work out tomorrow,” I said. “I haven’t done it in a few days. I feel flabby.”

“Ah. O… kay,” he mumbled.

“What were you going to say?” 

“Nothing! Just… just that it will be a month since we…”

“The one month anniversary of our first kiss?” I asked. I could feel my cheeks heating. “You… do you want to celebrate _that_?”

“I want to take you on a date. Just us. Let’s get barbecue.” I smiled. “I’ll pay. You can get us next time. Myeong-ah, I just want to make sure you know how much I’m really enjoying being your boyfriend.”

“You’re gross,” I giggled. “Let’s do it. I can always work out after.” I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek just as the elevator stopped at our floor.

We only played Mario Kart for half an hour before getting bored and making out on the living room floor. He’s cute; don’t judge me for that.

Giwook had me pinned to the floor, his legs straddling my hips, hands on my shoulders, and he was attacking my neck with kisses. It tickled terribly and I was shrieking with laughter. It had another effect on me too, but, you know… that’s between me and my pants. My heart fluttered and the butterflies in my stomach went mad and I thought, _I would let this boy do anything he wants._

The front door swung open and our hyungs walked in with bags of groceries. “MyeongWook,” Yonghoon addressed us, “we’re home. Can you… could you take it to the bedroom or something?”

“Sorry!” Giwook squeaked, lifting his head and grinning at our bandmates. “What took you guys so long? Chopping down trees for toilet paper?” He set me free, standing up to help unpack everything in the kitchen. I sat up and tried to cover my, you know, _effect_. If Giwook was hard too, nobody could see it under his baggy hoodie. 

“We got lunch without you,” Harin said with a smirk, ruffling Giwook’s hair. “Ah, it was so peaceful without any maknaes.”

“Rude,” Giwook grumbled. He ducked out from under Harin’s hand and started putting things away where they belonged. Ramen in the fridge, eggs in the cabinet. He caught himself and switched them. Ramen goes in the cabinet, eggs in the fridge. 

“Love makes you stupid, doesn’t it, Giwook-ah?” Yonghoon teased. “Dongmyeong-ah, are you helping or do you not live here?”

I stood and scuttled into the kitchen. Putting the groceries away cleared my love-fogged brain. “There’s nothing to do on a day off!” I complained.

“You could have come shopping with us,” Hyungu pointed out.

“I promised to be a better brother to Dongju, so we went to watch ONEUS practice,” I explained.

“That’s genuinely very sweet,” Hyungu said. “Do we want to make maknae line do the shopping next week, or are we afraid to give them the money?”

“We are afraid,” Yonghoon said. “We are _very_ afraid."


	2. Chapter 2

^o^-> CyA

That night, I got out of bed for a glass of water. It was around two in the morning. After dropping my feet gently to the floor so I wouldn’t wake Dongmyeong in the bunk below me, I tiptoed my way from our shared bedroom to the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a silhouetted figure by the front door. I squinted. They were my height. Hyungu is my height. “Hyungu-hyung?” I whispered as the silhouette reached for the doorknob. 

The silhouette startled. “Giwook!” Hyungu hissed. “Why are you up?”

“I’m thirsty,” I replied. “Where are you going?”

Hyungu dropped his hand by his side. “Nowhere,” he said quickly. “Have some water and go back to bed.”

“Why are you by the door?”

“Don’t worry about it. Have a drink and go to sleep.”

I downed a glass of water and went back to the bedroom. Hyungu was still standing by the door. After I climbed into my bunk, I swore I heard the front door open briefly and click shut.

Hyungu was missing at breakfast in the morning. I nibbled my toast, wondering where he was. Dongmyeong plucked a strawberry off my plate and dramatically plopped it on his tongue. I let him. It was our one month anniversary, after all.

Hyungu finally came in and joined us at the table. He rested his elbows on its surface and put his chin in his hands. “Are you hungry, hyung?” Dongmyeong asked.

“No,” Hyungu said with a yawn. “No, no, I had breakfast with-” He paused. “After I finished at the gym. I went to the gym before the rest of you woke up.”

“Ah, you should have woke me!” Dongmyeong whined. “I would have gone with you! Then I wouldn’t have to go after our date today.”

“What date?” Yonghoon asked. “We’re practicing today.”

“It’s our one month,” I explained. “I wanted to take Myeongie out for barbecue. We’re in the same band. It won’t look weird as long as we don’t do anything...” I wrinkled my nose, “... couply.”

“Aww.” Yonghoon smiled like a proud father. “Practice first. Barbecue later. We have a concert to think about, and only two more weeks to be ready.”

Hyungu rubbed his eyes. “When are we practicing?” he asked.

“In like, a couple of hours,” Yonghoon said. “I want to allow enough time for everyone to shower.”

“I’m napping.” Hyungu stood up and headed for the bedroom. “I don’t need my turn. I showered at the gym.”

“Weird,” Dongmyeong said. “He didn’t come home with a gym bag. Did he work out in jeans?”

Something was definitely weird about Hyungu. I decided not to mention the night before. 

If you ever get into a band, I have some advice for you. Drummers are touchy. So if you make fun of them for breaking a very fancy pair of drumsticks during practice instead of waiting to use them on stage, you might find a drumstick flying in your direction. This is undesirable. I speak from experience. I picked up Harin’s drumstick off the floor and passed it back to him behind his kit. I rubbed the spot on my head where it struck me. “I wasn’t aiming for your head, you know,” Harin said sheepishly.

“I know,” I replied.

“That stick bounced pretty far!” Dongmyeong observed.

“I know,” I repeated.

“Jagiya,” Dongmyeong said softly, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I confirmed.

“You guys call each other baby?” Hyungu asked, an amused smirk playing at his lips. “That’s adorable.”

“And we are practicing!” I announced loudly. “Let’s take it from right before Harin started breaking shit!”

We practiced until my left middle finger blistered from rubbing on the strings of my bass. It’s fine. It’s not like that hasn’t happened before. I was ready to just leave the practice room and go straight to the barbecue restaurant, but Dongmyeong wanted to spruce up a little, so we went home first. 

I sat on the sofa in the living room, waiting for my boyfriend. What a word, boyfriend. Never expected to have one of those. Yonghoon walked over, dropped three 10,000 won notes in my lap, and winked. “That should help,” he said. “Take him to get bingsu after. Or bubble tea.”

I picked up the bills and looked at him. “You don’t have to give me money, hyung,” I said, pouting. “30,000 won is a lot.”

“It’s not all from me.” Yonghoon shook his head and put one hand on his hip. “We all threw in 10,000. Think of it as a gift from your hyungs.”

“There’s no need, though,” I persisted.

“Take it. You’ll be glad to have it tonight.”

I pocketed the money. “Thank you.” I bowed my head slightly. “I’ll get you guys back for it soon. I’ll… I’ll buy lunchboxes for everyone on the day of the concert. Or soju? I don’t know. I’ll do something to deserve this.”

“Deserve what?” Dongmyeong asked, finally stepping into the living room. He had changed from joggers to jeans and a fitted pale green button-down. His makeup was done.

“Pretty,” I muttered. He must have heard me because he flashed me a big smile. “You look fantastic. Let’s go.”

“Have fun!” Harin and Yonghoon called to us. “And be safe, okay?” Yonghoon added. “Look both ways before crossing and such.”

With the extra cash, I was able to afford a slightly better barbecue restaurant than I had originally planned. And we got bingsu afterward. It’s a sweet shaved ice dessert that’s quite popular here and comes in all sorts of flavors. I went for choko bingsu, with condensed milk, chocolate syrup, and chocolate chips. Dongmyeong chose bright green nokcha bingsu, full of green tea and topped with strawberries. 

Dongmyeong scooped up a spoonful of bingsu and ate it, his gaze fixed on my face. He swallowed. “You’re so sweet,” he said. “How do I repay this on our next date?”

“I don’t know,” I said, blushing. “Don’t worry about it.”  _ I had a little help, Myeongie. _

“So, now that it’s been a month, I kind of want to tell my parents about us.” There was a gleam in his almost-black eyes. “They’ll be excited. Especially my mom. Childhood best friends turned lovers? I mean, it’s like something out of a drama!”

“Our parents talk to each other,” I pointed out. “Can you wait until I’m ready to tell mine? I don’t really want them to find out about us from your family. They’ll be upset if they don’t hear it from me first.”

“Sure, jagiya.”

The truth was, I wasn’t sure how my parents would react to me dating a boy. The idea was never even discussed when I lived at home. I think they assumed I’d do the rock star thing for a while, serve my military conscription, and find a wife. “Boyfriend” appears nowhere on that timeline.

“Your bingsu is melting,” Dongmyeong said, pointing his spoon at it and shaking me out of my thoughts. My bingsu  _ was  _ melting.

And Hyungu disappeared again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Giwook, with his blistered fingers. As a guitarist, I can relate.  
> What do you think Hyungu is doing when he leaves the dorm after midnight? Whatever it is, he's not very good at hiding it.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution: We get a little "blue" in this chapter and Dongmyeong gives a bit more insight into his previous relationship. Without spoiling anything, it's not exactly what I would call romantic. Just be aware of that.
> 
> (If you're wondering why I'm posting every day, I'm in college, it's spring break, and I want to provide plenty of content before I all but disappear for midterms.)

Dongmyeong ~*~

I had spent weeks practicing the choreography for my brief solo stage. Doing it at rehearsal, I suddenly started feeling really silly. There’s a big difference between dancing in a practice space and doing it on a stage, and an even bigger difference between doing it alone and in front of an audience. I was probably just having stage fright again.

We were having a funky day in general. The venue was overly cold. Apparently no one had been in to adjust the climate controls in several days, so when the heat finally came on, everything smelled a bit like burning. I don’t know if the smell went away or I got used to it. 

Hyungu was still acting weird. For someone who had been going to the gym almost every morning for two weeks, he wasn’t making much progress. Not that I would ever say that to him. It was just getting a little suspicious. I chalked it up to Hyungu having the kind of body that just takes a while to reach its fitness goals.

On top of it all, Giwook still hadn’t decided when he wanted to tell his parents about us. I mean, I knew I shouldn’t be concerned. We were only together for a month and a half. And my parents already knew I was gay. I wasn’t sure Giwook had ever even approached the subject with his mom and dad.

I finished my solo rehearsal with what was meant to be a cool, sexy pose. Panting, I pushed my hair back off my forehead. Droplets of sweat were trickling down my neck. My bandmates cheered. “Are you sure I don’t look like an idiot?” I asked from the stage. 

“You look like the coolest idiot I’ve ever seen,” Harin cracked.

“Ha, ha, you’re funny, hyung!” I took a long drink from my water bottle. “I feel like my choreo looks dumb.” I sat on the edge of the stage, letting my feet dangle. “Plus, I didn’t really account for space. I almost fell off right in the middle of my song. You couldn’t see me stumbling, could you? I really tried to cover it.”

“You don’t look dumb,” Giwook assured me. He leaned his back against the stage and folded his arms over his chest. “And I only laughed a little when you almost fell off the stage.”

“Yah!” I backhanded his shoulder. “I could have really hurt myself!”

“Well, if you fall off during the performance, our fans will catch you,” Giwook joked. “And then you can crowd surf!”

“You’re such a dork.” I rolled my eyes. 

“A dork who loves you,” he added. I smiled. Giwook poked me in the dimple. “Those are probably the best part of your smile.”

“Stop!” I whined. “You’ll make me blush.”

“Too late,” he shrugged.

“Giwook-ah!” I lay back on the stage with my hands behind my head. “This is gonna be an amazing show,” I said, half to myself. “It’s  _ always  _ an amazing show.”

Hyungu’s ringtone echoed through the space. I sat up and cocked an eyebrow at him. He checked the screen to see who was calling, swiped it, and said, “Yeoboseyo?” He paused. “Mmm, just a second,” he said in English. He covered the mic on his phone. “I’ll be just outside, guys. Just a minute, okay?” And then he took off.

“Who’s he talking to?” Yonghoon laughed. “‘Just a second,’” he mimicked.

“Maybe whoever he’s going to the gym with instead of us?” Harin suggested.

“I don’t think he’s going to the gym,” Giwook pondered. 

“Maybe he has a night job,” I suggested.

“Maybe he has a girlfriend,” Giwook countered.

“He’d tell us if he had a girlfriend,” Yonghoon said, then added, “Probably. I think.”

The show went well. I  _ did  _ stumble at the edge of the stage during my solo performance, and I  _ know _ people got it on camera. I just hope I did a good enough job making it look intentional.

Dongju came to see us. He’s always been taller than me. It’s frustrating having to look up to make eye contact with your younger sibling. He met me backstage, and I glanced upward to see his gummy smile. “You’re all sweaty and gross,” he began, “but you’re the only brother I have, so…” Dongju wrapped his arms around my shoulders and squeezed. Not what I was expecting. “You guys nailed it, as always.”

I put my palm on his forehead. “Are you sick?” I asked. “You’re complimenting me.”

“What? Can’t we be nice to each other sometimes?” He looked away. “I miss you. You’re my hyung, whether I want you or not.”

“Aww, softie!” I cried, pinching his cheeks. He cringed and squirmed away from me.

Youngjo had accompanied my brother to the concert. I’ve always thought he was so cool, what with his regal name and his total inability to give a shit about what anyone else thinks. He was chatting with Giwook. They were discussing working on a song together again. I wondered when they would find the time to get together and write. Both of our groups were so busy. That was probably why Dongju squeezed me and all but told me he loved me. We all try so hard to make time for each other. It was really touching that the two of them showed up.

Dongju snapped me out of my thoughts. “I saw you almost walk off the edge of the stage,” he teased. He snickered.

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you!” I spat. Ah, brotherly love at its finest.

I was exhausted by the time we got home, so I retreated to the small bedroom I shared with Giwook. Our hyungs slept in the other, slightly bigger bedroom in the apartment. Originally, the reason for the sleeping arrangement was that Giwook and I were best friends. Once we started dating, I felt like there was another reason for us to sleep so close to each other. 

I undressed and worked my shoulders and neck around in circles, trying to relieve the tension in my muscles. My underwear-clad reflection stared at me from the full-length mirror on our wall. “Okay, I admit it,” I grumbled to the mirror, “I’m a twink. Lay off.” I couldn’t figure out where all the insecurity was coming from that night.

The bedroom door opened and closed, and a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind. A warm, fully clothed body pressed against my back. I looked at the mirror again. Giwook had joined me. He planted a noisy kiss on my left shoulder. I turned around to face him, locking my arms around his shoulders. “Did I look cool tonight?” I asked for perhaps the thousandth time since rehearsal.

“So cool,” he assured. “How did I look during my solo?”

“Like a cute boy with a guitar,” I giggled. “I liked your solo,” I added, barely above a whisper.

“You better,” he teased. “I mean, I’m your boyfriend, after all.” Giwook nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and I melted. He held on gently, but firmly, fingers curling and uncurling against me like he was trying to find something to grasp. 

Giwook’s treatment of me was a far cry from anything I had with my ex. Jinseo was his name. He wasted no time getting into my pants, pulling my hair, bending me over, drilling me roughly into the mattress. The roughest thing about Giwook was the collection of calluses on his fingers, the result of years of obsessive bass playing. Giwook lifted his head and I stared up into his perfectly asymmetrical eyes for a few seconds before he captured my lips. “I think it’s bedtime for me,” I mumbled, pulling back before I could even start to do anything he wasn’t ready for. I would not be Jinseo.

I crawled into my bunk, burrowing under the blankets. Giwook turned the light off. I could still see him by the soft glow of the night light we kept plugged in by the bedroom door. When he unzipped his pants, I stopped peeking.

My bunk dipped. “Scoot,” Giwook commanded. I backed myself against the wall and he joined me under the covers, pressing his bare back against my chest. My breath hitched and I draped my right arm over his body. My fingertips brushed his squishy tummy and I smiled. “That tickles,” he whispered.

“Sorry,” I said, laying my palm flat against him. 

Then I got bold, sliding my hand down, slowly pushing my fingers under his waistband until I felt something hard and smooth, like porcelain. My heart picked up speed. Giwook grabbed my wrist and guided my hand up to his chest. “N-not yet,” he stuttered. “Not ready. I’m scared.”

“I’ll wait,” I whispered. I would  _ not  _ be Jinseo.


	4. Chapter 4

^o^-> CyA

I woke up the next morning holding Dongmyeong, who had thrown his right leg over me in his sleep, pinning me to the mattress. I brushed his bangs out of his face. He was still out cold, lips parted slightly, his breath soft and warm on my skin.  _ I could get used to this _ , I thought as I brought my lips to his forehead. Dongmyeong stirred a little and pressed closer to me.  _ I’m going to fall off!  _ I had a moment of slight panic when I felt my butt slip off the edge of the bunk a little. Dongmyeong is light, and I figured I could sort of… push him towards the wall.

Very gently, I shinnied in, easing Dongmyeong backwards. Still asleep, he thrust out his arms. I landed on the floor of the bedroom with a loud, painful thud. “Oww,” I whined and rolled away from the bunk beds.

“Giwook-ah!” Dongmyeong half-squeaked, half-laughed. He came to the edge of his bunk, one hand over his pretty mouth. A bright blush was spreading over his cheeks. “Did you fall?”

“You pushed me!” I accused, pointing my finger at my boyfriend. “You’re such a buttlicker!”

“You have to take your pants off for that,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“What?” I asked, taken aback.

“Nothing!” Dongmyeong blurted, waving his hands frantically. “Are you okay?”

“My butt hurts,” I complained. “Other than that, I think I’ll be fine.”

“Sorry. I forgot you slept with me last night.”

“You know, you ruined the mood.” I stood up off the floor at last, brushing myself off. Our floor was pretty clean, but it’s my instinct to clean myself as much as possible. I might be part cat. “I was enjoying holding you and giving you little kisses, and you ruined it by shoving me onto the floor!”

“I’m sorry!” Dongmyeong repeated. “Jagiya, if it helps, you can get back in bed and kiss me more. I won’t push you out.”

My heart skipped a beat at that. “What time is it?” I asked, more to myself than to Dongmyeong. He turned on the screen on his phone and held it out to show me. It was only six in the morning. “Ah, fuck,” I sighed. I ran my hand through my messy bedhead. “We probably woke everyone.”

“Only if Hyungu is in the apartment,” Dongmyeong pointed out. “If he’s ‘at the gym’ again, we only woke Harin and Yonghoon.” He had put “at the gym” in air quotes.

“I just decided I don’t care,” I shrugged. I crawled back into Dongmyeong’s bunk. “Scoot over to the wall so you don’t eject me again. I no longer trust you.” Dongmyeong giggled, but he did as I asked. 

“How were we positioned before I threw you?” Dongmyeong asked.

“Uh,” I started, blushing, “um… I had my hand here.” I placed my palm on his cheek and he giggled softly. “And you… your hand was on my ribs… and your leg was over my hips.”

“I like it,” Dongmyeong whispered, positioning himself as I described. He rubbed his nose on mine. “Give me kisses.” It’s hard to say no to that. We kissed until my lips tingled like they were going numb. Dongmyeong pulled back a little, tracing random shapes on my chest with his finger. “I want to do so much more than kiss you,” he said, breathless. 

I swallowed hard, staring into the sparkling ebony eyes in front of me. “I-I…” I stuttered, “I think I need more than a month and a half to be ready for that.” Dongmyeong closed his eyes. “N-not that I don’t want to, or I’m not turned on right now!” I added quickly. “I just… I’ve never even entertained the idea of… that kind of…” I trailed off.

“I understand,” Dongmyeong whispered, nestling his face close to my collarbone. He planted tiny kisses on the skin there. His nails lightly grazed my back, just hard enough to feel. “I’ll never make you do anything, Giwook-ah,” he mumbled. “I won’t coax or guilt you. I’ve waited this long to have you. I can keep waiting for more. I wasn’t shown such kindness. I wouldn’t dream of putting you through that.”

Dread crept up my throat. “Myeong-ah, nae sarang,” I whispered. Dongmyeong smiled at my pet name for him - “my love” - and I continued. “Did something happen with Jinseo-ssi that you never told me about?”

“Don’t give him honorifics,” Dongmyeong scoffed. His fingers stopped their soothing journey along my back. “He doesn’t deserve the respect.” He sighed. “I’ll tell you all about it if you promise not to feel sorry for me.”

“I’m not sure I want to know,” I growled. “I might have to find and kill him.”

“He’s my past,” Dongmyeong said. He resumed running his fingers up and down my back, straying onto my side. “You’re my present, and I made a much better choice this time.” He pecked my lips. “I’ve been thankful for every day since the moment I met you. Never let me go.”

“Nae sarang,” I whispered. Dongmyeong looked up at me. “Give me kisses.”

We emerged from the bedroom later in the morning. I grabbed a couple of tangerines, tossing one in Dongmyeong’s direction. He caught it and started peeling. “It’s my turn,” Yonghoon announced from his place near the stove. “I’m making rice porridge.” He briefly lifted the lid on the pot in front of himself. “At least I think I’m making porridge.”

“If you’re doing what I said, you’re making porridge,” Harin said dismissively. He was watching cartoons on the sofa. “I’ll take mine sweet, please.” Harin sipped his banana milk. “You two made an awful lot of noise earlier,” he said, glancing at Dongmyeong and me.

I popped a section of tangerine in my mouth, savoring the sweet juice. “I fell out of bed,” I explained. I hadn’t heard Yonghoon laugh so hard in days.

Hyungu entered the apartment. He put his hand on the left side of his neck. “Morning, everybody!” he said, waving his free hand. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Yonghoon thinks it’s porridge,” Dongmyeong said. “Hurt your neck at the gym?” Hyungu’s face paled. “It must have been a hell of a workout if you actually want breakfast this time.”

Finally, Hyungu deflated, shoulders slumping, eyelids drooping. “You guys know I haven’t been going to the gym, huh?”

“Where’s your night job?” Dongmyeong asked.

“Night job?” Hyungu cocked an eyebrow at him. “I don’t have a night job.” He dropped his hand, revealing a small, purple-red bruise on his neck.

“You have a hickey!” Dongmyeong howled. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Wake the whole fucking country, Myeong-ah!” Hyungu growled. “Her name is Amanda.” He sighed. “I guess I’m really bad at keeping a secret. Maybe I should break things off before more people find out.”

“Amanda is not a Korean name,” I pointed out. “Where’d you find her?”

“A cafe in Hongdae,” Hyungu explained. “She’s a college student here for a study abroad program. She’s from the States. One of them. I don’t remember which one. Michigan, or Ohio, or something. Amanda started out as my English practice partner. Then I kissed her and everything went crazy.”

“Your age?” I asked.

Hyungu shook his head. “She’s two years older. She likes it when I call her ‘noona.’” He blushed. “God, I wish I hadn’t said that,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be too embarrassed, Hyungu-yah,” Yonghoon said. “Giwook-ah fell out of bed this morning.”

“How?” Hyungu laughed.

“Myeong-ah pushed me,” I muttered.

“What was that?” Harin teased. “Louder, Giwook-ah. Louder, so we can all hear you!”

“Dongmyeong-ah pushed me out of his bunk.”

“I don’t wanna know!” Hyungu threw his hands up and retreated to the hyungs’ bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

Dongmyeong ~*~

In an apartment full of guys, I am always thankful that no one gives me shit for taking an extra long shower.

It had been two weeks since Giwook and I started sharing a bunk every night. If you’re keeping track, that’s two months since our first kiss. Two months that we’ve spent keeping this secret from everyone but our band and my brother’s group. Was I still bugging Giwook about telling our parents? Yes. Was he still giving me the run around? Also yes. And did I still want to fuck him? That’s why my shower took twice as long as usual!

I dried off and wrapped my towel around my waist, then got to work brushing my teeth and doing my skincare routine. Once my face was dewy, I skipped the short distance from the bathroom to the bedroom. I dressed in joggers and a t-shirt, standard attire for not going out and doing anything fun. All we had to do that day was practice, and I wasn’t worried about people at the company seeing me in comfy clothes. 

After I threw on my coat and shoes, I was out the door and in the elevator. I clutched my coat tightly around myself as I walked to the main building with the cafe. I wanted hot tea to take with me to the practice room. A few tiny snowflakes drifted down from the clouds, tickling my cheeks. It was about time for me to start seriously thinking about what I wanted to get for my bandmates for Christmas.

The cafe was decorated in pictures of all the artists at RBW, some of which were signed. I always thought it was kind of cute, like when you draw a picture as a little kid and your mom decides it’s worthy of hanging somewhere in the house. To you, it looks like nothing special, but it’s special to her. I get that kind of feeling every time I step into the cafe and find our autographs on the wall.

Once I had a cup full of steaming green tea warming my chilled fingers, I was back on my way to the building with our practice room. The room was tiny, just big enough to fit all five of us, plus equipment. The clear barricade that separated Harin and his drums from the rest of us took up most of the space in the room, and it was absolutely essential so we wouldn’t be deafened. It was a tight squeeze. I stepped over the tangle of cables, between Giwook and Yonghoon, and plopped ungracefully on the seat behind my keyboard, barely managing to keep all my tea in the cup. I cradled it in both hands and took a long sip before setting it down near my keyboard and cracking my knuckles. “Shall we?” I asked as I reached out to turn the instrument on. It was already on. Either I left it on overnight or Yonghoon was playing while I was taking my time showing up for practice.

“Cutie, you know you’re late,” Giwook said. “We played a couple songs without you already.”

“Okay, but I’m here now,” I argued. “Let’s do this.”

I ended up only getting to drink half of my tea. Yonghoon is a mooch. I can’t count on one hand the number of times we’ve all told him to get his own over the years. That mostly applies to food and drinks, although every once in a while, if the apartment is particularly cold, he’ll steal the closest blanket, whether it’s his or not.

Not counting meals and bathroom breaks, we spent the whole day working in the practice room. By midnight, I was too tired to tell my fingers to play the right notes. I yawned behind my keyboard and let my head droop down near the keys. “I bet I can play with my nose,” I muttered, poking at middle C with the tip of my nose.

“Bedtime for Myeongie?” Giwook asked, stifling his own yawn.

“Bedtime for Myeongie,” I confirmed. I hit the power switch on my keyboard and all the lights on the control panel winked out. “Any objections?”

“Yes,” Hyungu said. I shot him a glare. “I object because I don’t want you walking home alone. Wait for us.” I let my eyes soften as I nodded at him. My bandmates started packing up and slipping back into their coats and scarves. All except Yonghoon.

“You guys go ahead,” he said. He slid into my seat as I was standing up. He turned my keyboard back on. “I have more work I want to do here. I’ll be home in a few hours.”

“Do you ever sleep?” I asked. 

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” Yonghoon said with a flippant wave of his hand. “Which shouldn’t be too long, if I’m as ancient as you all say I am.”

“Get home safely, hyung,” Harin said. He gave Yonghoon’s shoulder a quick squeeze as he passed by, following the rest of us out the door.

We made our way back to the apartment, wrapped up tightly and huddled close. As soon as we were inside the building, I clutched Giwook’s arm, wishing it were acceptable behavior in public too. We rode the elevator up to our floor, but we were stopped on our way to our apartment. Someone had grabbed my bicep.

“Yah!” I cried out as I spun around to face my captor. “Dongju, you can’t just grab people like that!” My brother was hanging half outside the ONEUS apartment, clutching my arm. “I’m tired and you scared me.”

“I’m sorry, but we have drinks,” he said, tripping over his tongue a little. “Come help us drink them. All five of you.”

“Yonghoon-hyung is working late,” I said.

“Fine. More for the rest of us,” Dongju slurred. “Come on.” He tugged at my arm. I glanced at my bandmates and shrugged, and the four of us followed my twin into the apartment.

“Oh good, I’m glad you’re here before I get sick,” Keonhee giggled, flashing a thumbs-up. He was standing at the kitchen counter, popping the cap on a bottle of soju.

“Why are you all getting drunk?” Harin asked with a chuckle. He wasted no time rummaging through our brother unit’s cupboards for a glass.

“Why not?” Keonhee shrugged. “It’s almost Christmas. One last hurrah before we go home for a few days.” I stared at him incredulously. “What?” he whined. “It was Youngjo’s idea. God, it’s not like you guys never drink. Fucking rock stars.” Keonhee finished pouring his glass and raised it in my direction. “Merry Christmas, let’s have fun!” He downed the soju in three swallows and scrunched up his face, shaking his head. “First one’s the hardest. Come here. I’ll get you something.” Keonhee turned around to catch Harin pouring his own glass of soju. “Or you can just help yourself, I guess.”

“Where’s the old man?” Hwanwoong cracked. He was on the floor of the living room, legs tucked underneath the low table, playing a heated game of yut against Geonhak.

“At the practice space,” I said, taking my freshly poured glass of soju from Keonhee. “Honestly, if we knew you guys wanted to party tonight, Yonghoon-hyung would be here.”

Geonhak tossed the sticks and moved one of his horses a few spaces on the board, kicking Hwanwoong’s horse back to the starting point. “You dick!” Hwanwoong complained. “I don’t even know how many turns it took me to get that horse that far!” He took a swig from a bottle of beer on the table. “That’s it, no more Mister Nice Sun God.”

Dongju had a fresh glass of soju in his own hand, and he leaned into me, tapping the side of his glass against mine. “Thanks for coming in,” he said. “I feel less awkward about being the drunken maknae now.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’ve already had too much to drink?” I asked, careful to stand still and steady in case I was the only thing holding him upright.

“Because I probably have.” He threw back his soju. I gently took the glass out of his hand. “So am I cut off because hyung says so?”

“You’re cut off because Mom and Dad will kill me if I let you die.”

“And then we would be together once again!” Dongju stumbled forward. “I should go to bed. Should I go to bed?”

“Got him!” Geonhak called as he abandoned the board game. “I’ll be right back, Woong-ah. You mess with any of my horses and I’ll string you up by the ears.”

“Noted!” Hwanwoong said. He took another gulp from his bottle.

Geonhak scooped my little brother off his feet, holding him like a baby or a bride. “Got him,” he repeated. “I’ll put this one to bed, Dongmyeong-ah. Don’t worry about him. He’s in good hands.” 

“I don’t want to go to bed!” Dongju protested.

“Make up your mind!” Geonhak said. He set Dongju back on his feet and caught him when he stumbled.

“Ju-yah, drink some water,” I insisted. “Hyung says so.”

Dongju pouted and folded his arms. “Fine,” he huffed as he went to pour himself a glass of water. “I guess if hyung says so.” He’s grown up so much, but he still reverts to being a little kid whenever he drinks.

Despite how tired I was in the practice room, I stayed at the ONEUS apartment longer than anyone else in my band. I felt pleasantly intoxicated, and it was nice to spend a few hours with my only brother. One by one, everyone made their way to bed. Eventually only Seoho and I were left awake. We sat on the sofa, passing a bottle of cheap wine back and forth. “How are you?” Seoho asked. “I never get to talk to you. How’s the band? And the romance? Are you and Giwook-ah still a thing?”

“I’m good,” I said, taking a swig from the bittersweet wine and passing it back. “The band is good. We practiced and wrote all day long. We are still a thing, and I’m very happy with him. I think that answers all of your questions. How are you?”

“I’m great!” Seoho exclaimed without hesitation. “I mean, I jammed my wrist a little during dance practice today, but I still feel good. I can’t wait to go home for Christmas soon. I miss my mom.”

“Me too.”

“You miss my mom?” Seoho handed me the bottle again.

“No, I miss  _ my _ mom. Follow along, hyung.”

“Sorry. It’s been quite a night. Dongmyeong-ah,” Seoho turned his whole body to face me, “do you have gifts for anyone yet?”

“No,” I mumbled. “I have a few things in mind for Giwook-ah but I haven’t been shopping yet. Oh, but I have something for Dongju already.” The wine was close to empty, but I didn’t want to be the one to finish it. I took just a small sip before placing it back in Seoho’s hands. He downed the last of it in one gulp. “I found a cool bracelet for him a few months ago. I thought about giving it to him when I bought it, but I decided to save it for either Christmas or our birthday.”

“You guys know each other too well,” Seoho groaned. His head lolled to the side. “I wish I had a twin.”

“Trust me, you’re better off without one,” I laughed. “Of course, I wouldn’t trade mine for anything. I was born with a best friend.”

“That’s really sweet,” Seoho yawned. “I think I’m going to bed. Do you want me to walk you across the hall to your door, or can you walk okay?”

I stood up, wobbled slightly and took a few tentative steps, like a baby deer. “I think I’ll manage,” I said. “Goodnight, hyung. Keep my brother safe.”

“Will do! Sleep well.” 

And just like that, Seoho was off to bed and I was on my way out of their apartment, locking the door behind me.

I snuck into the apartment across the hall as quietly as I could, peeking into the hyungs’ room to see if Yonghoon was home yet. Harin and Hyungu were out cold, and there was no sign of Yonghoon. He was still working. It was four in the morning. I said a silent prayer to keep him safe, shut the door, and crept my way to Giwook’s and my room.

Giwook was asleep in my bunk in underwear and a hoodie. He looked totally worn out. I couldn’t blame him. I felt it too. I stripped down and collapsed next to him with an enormous sigh.

“Nae sarang,” he groaned. I opened one eye and looked at him expectantly. “I’ve been thinking about this since lunch. When we go home for Christmas, let’s do it.”

“What do you want to do?” I asked as I lifted my head and looked at him properly.

“Let’s tell our parents.”

“Mmm. Okay, jagiya.” I stroked his hair. “Go to sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, that one felt long.
> 
> On an unrelated note, it is too cold to play piano in my apartment. Makes me sad.


	6. Chapter 6

^o^-> CyA

I was groggy in the morning. The only sign I had been drinking was the desert-dry feeling in my mouth. Being young and virtually hangover-proof is awesome. Dongmyeong was curled up, his back pressed against my chest. He had his fingers laced with mine over his stomach. He had come home later in the morning than I had, so I didn’t want to wake him, but I really had to pee. I sat up, dragging my fingers through my hair a few times to tame any tangles, and flipped my hood up over my head. “Myeong-ah,” I whispered. I tapped his hip.

“Mmm,” he hummed.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I said. “I’m going to climb over you. Please don’t push me on the floor.”

“Hmm… ahh.” I had no idea what that meant, but I thought it was pretty cute. 

Very carefully, I stretched my right leg over Dongmyeong’s sleeping form. My toes just barely reached the floor. I pulled my other leg over and hopped on one foot until I could gain my balance. Dongmyeong didn’t seem to notice. He just flipped over and buried his face in my pillow.

I did my business in the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. I found Yonghoon passed out on the living room sofa.  _ I wonder when he got in, _ I thought. As quietly as I could, I started filling glasses with water. Yonghoon hadn’t been drinking with us, but I set a glass on the table in front of him anyway. If he was up singing all night, he would still need it.

I took two glasses into the hyungs’ room, setting them on the desk. Harin was snoring. I was startled by a voice, barely loud enough to hear. “What a good maknae we have,” Hyungu murmured, just slightly above a whisper. I spun around, clutching my chest. “Sorry I scared you.” He was in his bunk, eyes half-open, watching me. “I would take some haejang-guk if you can rustle it up.”

“You want me to make hangover soup?” I asked, half smiling. 

“I’m hungry,” he complained. “Have you seen Yonghoon-hyung?”

“Yeah.” I took one glass off the desk and passed it to Hyungu, who started sucking it down as soon as it was in his hand. “He’s asleep in the living room. I don’t know when he got in.”

“Good. Glad he made it home.” Hyungu set his glass down on the small bedside table by his bunk and lay back. His eyes fluttered shut. “I’m going back to sleep.”

“I’ll wake you when the soup is ready,” I chuckled.

I retrieved the two remaining water glasses from the kitchen and brought them into the room I shared with Dongmyeong. “Nae sarang,” I whispered. I set one glass down to free up my dominant hand, then started walking my fingers up and down Dongmyeong’s back. “I brought you water.”

“I like water,” Dongmyeong said, his voice muffled by the pillow over his face. He sat up and took the glass out of my hand.

“Quick update,” I began. “Yonghoon is home, passed out on the sofa. No, I don’t know how late he got in. Hyungu wants haejang-guk. It would take forever though. But maybe my mom has a quick and dirty version. She’s good at those.”

“If you find a recipe, I’ll cook it with you,” Dongmyeong said between tiny sips of ice water. “Speaking of your mom, do you remember what you said to me when I got in bed last night?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Did I say I want to tell our parents about our relationship at Christmas?” He smiled and nodded. “I still want to. I think I’m ready.” I started on my own glass of water, finally quenching my parched tongue. I grabbed my phone off the table by the bunks and started a Naver search, looking for an easy hangover soup recipe. There were no recipes that took less than two hours. I thought about ordering some as takeout. There was a great restaurant only a few blocks away, and they delivered.

“You’re really going to tell your parents?” Dongmyeong asked. The gleam was back in his eyes, the sparkle that meant he was excited. “Holy shit, Giwook-ah. I feel so special.”

“You should feel special. I think you’re pretty special, Myeong-ah.” I blushed and dialed the restaurant’s number. I still owed my hyungs for the 30,000 won they gave me the month before.

Dongmyeong came with me to the main floor of the building and we waited for the food delivery together. “What do you want for Christmas?” I asked, absently playing with his long fingers as I watched the street outside the doors.

“You,” he replied.

“How about something you can use, or wear?” I suggested. “I could get you a new cologne.”

“Why? You don’t like that I smell like my twin brother?” Dongmyeong joked, his wide smile lighting up his whole face.

“It is a little strange,” I conceded. “I’ll figure something out.”

“What should I get you?” Dongmyeong asked. He put his head on my shoulder. “Like, a hundred packs of ramen?”

“Oh, nothing so extravagant,” I laughed. “Surprise me. I think I’m gonna kidnap your brother later.” Dongmyeong gave me a funny side-glance. “He knows you as well as you know you, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. Slow down. Rephrase. Fix that weird sentence.”

“I want to take Dongju shopping so he can help me pick your present,” I explained. A man on a scooter parked in front of our building and started taking bags of takeout out of the cargo box on the back of the seat. “I think this is our guy.” I went outside, traded a few bills for food, and reminded the driver to be careful with his scooter on the wet roads.

“And now we can go back upstairs,” Dongmyeong said with a grin, taking one of our two bags of food out of my hand. “This smells incredible. What did you order again?”

“Haejang-guk, rice, and jjimdak,” I replied.

“Why did you get braised chicken?” Dongmyeong asked. He punched our floor number in the elevator. “It smells so good!”

“Yonghoon-hyung likes it a lot. Plus, I figure we need to eat more than just rice and soup.”

“Good call.” He sniffed inside the bag. “I think I have the rice and jjimdak. You must be carrying the soup.”

We started unloading food onto the table in the living room as soon as we got through the door. We had two large containers of rice, a big platter of jjimdak, and two containers of haejang-guk the same size as the ones containing our rice. Yonghoon dug into the jjimdak as fast as I could take the lid off the platter. “I could eat all of this,” he groaned.

When our bellies were full of food, Harin started consolidating the remaining food into just a few containers so it would fit better in the fridge. Before he could take the soup, I filled one more bowl. “You’re still hungry?” he asked in amazement.

“I’m making an offering,” I said as I stood up off the floor. “I’m going to see if I can kidnap Dongju. See you later!”

“Does he really need both twins?” Hyungu cracked. I smiled and flipped the bird on my way out.

Youngjo answered the door at the ONEUS apartment. “Why do you have soup?” he asked.

“Hello to you too, hyung,” I said with a slight bow of my head. “Where’s Dongju-yah?”

“Playing video games,” Youngjo shrugged. He stepped aside to let me into the apartment. “You still haven’t told me why you have soup.”

“Dongju-yah!” I called to the younger twin. He was on the floor of the living room, playing a feverish Super Smash Bros. match against Keonhee. He glanced over, then kept mashing buttons. “I have a proposal for you.”

“Can we pause?” Dongju asked.

“We can quit,” Keonhee grumbled. “I’m tired of losing.”

Dongju got up off the floor and met me in the kitchen. “What’s up, Giwook-ah?” he asked.

“I brought you soup,” I said. “Haejang-guk, from the restaurant a few blocks down. Thought you might want it after all you drank last night.” Dongju nodded, grabbed a spoon, and sat on the kitchen counter to eat his soup. He stared expectantly at me. “Go shopping with me.”

“When?”

“When you finish that soup.” I pointed at the bowl.

“Why?”

“I need a Christmas present for your brother and I want you to help me.”

“You haven’t bought him a present yet?” Dongju wailed. “Are you waiting until Christmas Eve? What kind of boyfriend are you?” His gummy grin overtook his features then. “Of course I’ll help you.” He tipped the bowl, pouring the last of the soup into his mouth. “That was really good soup, by the way. Thank you for that. I need to put my shoes on.”

We walked briskly through the damp streets, hands tucked in pockets. Dongju ducked under an awning in front of a clothing store. The sky was spitting a cold drizzle and I wished I had brought an umbrella. “How about matching sweaters?” Dongju suggested, peering through the shop window.

“Uh, I don’t really do the whole matching couple thing,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

“You don’t, but he does,” Dongju said. He crossed his arms and glared at me. “Come on, you’ve known him half as long as I have. He’s the type.”

“You’ve known him since the womb. That’s why I’m shopping with you.”

“Then take my advice, pabo!” Dongju flicked my forehead.  _ He just called me an idiot! _

“Man, I don’t know,” I sighed. “I thought of cologne and skincare.”

“Also great options,” Dongju shrugged. “Make up a little at-home spa and movie night thing for him. He loves that kind of cute, thoughtful stuff. We’ll get some sheet masks, his favorite snacks, and a blu-ray that you guys don’t already have. Throw in a pair of fuzzy socks for him. He will be over the moon.”

I laughed. “Dongju-yah, you are a genius!” I said, grabbing onto his coat and tugging him towards a makeup store. “You don’t get to stop helping me look yet, but that was fucking brilliant!”

“I know I am,” Dongju smirked. “And this way, you don’t have to tell anyone you’re shopping for a boy.” I skidded to a stop. 

“I am  _ not  _ embarrassed to have a boyfriend, Son Dongju,” I growled.

“I never said you were embarrassed,” he said. He rested a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, let’s shop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not write tomorrow. I have to go to work and get trained to tutor students online since my college is shutting down for a while because of the outbreak. Regardless, I hope you liked this one!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news! Training at work only took an hour, so I was able to finish the new chapter!
> 
> There's a lot of dialogue and I feel like it looks really messy, but it's an important chapter, so I hope you enjoy it.

Dongmyeong ~*~

Dongju and I made it to our parents’ house just in time for dinner on Christmas Eve. “Eomma! Appa!” I shouted as we took our shoes off by the door. “Your sons are home!

Our mother emerged from the hallway. “My boys!” she squealed, arms outstretched. She pulled us both in for one big hug. “Have they been feeding you at RBW? You kids are like a pair of chopsticks! Make sure you eat a lot at dinner.”

“We’re fine, Eomma,” Dongju promised. “But I will eat as much as you want me to!”

“I know you will, baby,” Eomma said, giving us both an extra squeeze. “And my Dongmyeong-ah?”

“Stuff me full of kimchi, Eomma!” I laughed. “You know you’re the best cook in Korea.”

“I certainly am,” she boasted. “And I make the most handsome boys too.” Eomma backed up to study our faces. “And you’ve been healthy? Nobody’s sick in your groups?” We nodded. “Good.” She looked behind us. “You didn’t bring any girlfriends or boyfriends along?”

“I’m single,” Dongju shrugged.

“I’m… I’ll tell you after dinner,” I said.

Eomma covered her mouth. Her eyes widened and sparkled. Hey, that’s where I get it from! “You have a boyfriend, don’t you?” she exclaimed. “Tell me everything! What’s his name? Where is he from? How did you meet?”

“Eomma, be patient!” I begged. “After dinner! I swear I will tell you everything you want to know.”

“You’ll answer all my questions?” she asked firmly. I nodded. “And you will answer me honestly, Dongmyeong-ah?”

“You know I will,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Have I ever been dishonest with you?”

“Probably. You are my child. Kids lie to their parents.” I opened my mouth to protest. “Don’t argue with me. I lied to my mother. You lie to me. It happens. I don’t love you any less for it. Now, my perfect boys, follow me into the kitchen and help me cook. I have kimchi-jjigae on the stove because I know you both love it so much. We’re having beef and sweet potato noodles as well, but you can have rice instead if you want it. And I’m about to start steaming some pears for dessert.”

“Your kimchi-jjigae is my favorite stew,” I gushed, taking Eomma’s hand. “Eomma, nobody makes it like you.”

“Oh, shush, Dongmyeong-ah. You don’t have to lay it on so thick just because I called you a liar.” Her tone was scolding, but she was smiling at me.

Eomma taught me how to make noodles out of sweet potato starch that night. They were a little uneven, so some of them didn’t turn clear when I cooked them, but I think I did pretty well for my first try. Dongju stood next to me at the stove, grilling beef on a skillet and closely monitoring the stew. Eomma spent some time setting the table in traditional fashion. 

Over dinner, Eomma and Appa listened patiently as Dongju and I rambled passionately about idol life. By the time we got around to having dessert, the steamed pears were a little  _ too  _ steamed and mushy. I had no complaints about that. They were still delicious. 

“Yeobo,” Eomma addressed our father, “Dongmyeong-ah has something to tell us.”

“We’re still eating!” I protested through a mouthful of steamed pear.

“But it’s technically after dinner,” Eomma argued. “Please, son. I’m anxious to know.”

“Just spill it already,” Dongju demanded. He tossed a bit of bread and it caught in my hair and just hung there. He laughed.

“No food fights!” Appa growled. “Don’t even think about throwing anything else at each other.”

I swallowed. “I have a boyfriend,” I stated plainly. “You already know him, actually.”

“Oh?” Appa asked.

“Yeah.” I took another bite of my dessert before I continued. “Remember Lee Giwook? He used to live next door when we were in that apartment building.”

“And he’s in your band,” Eomma added. “Yes, we remember him. He’s a sweet boy.”

“He’s a very sweet boy,” I agreed. “He’s  _ my  _ very sweet boy. We’re in love. We have been dating for just over two months now, but I had feelings for him long before that.”

“That’s amazing,” Eomma said softly. “I hope things keep going well for the two of you. You know, I married my best friend. Someday, hopefully, it will be legal for you to do the same thing.”

“I wasn’t your best friend,” Appa snickered. “I was the boy who shot spitballs at you and pulled your hair until I had the guts to say I liked you.”

“Yes,” Eomma agreed. “And  _ then  _ you were my best friend. And you still are. You always will be.”

I smiled.  _ My parents are so cute.  _ I glanced over at Dongju. He looked a little sick to his stomach. I guess there are two kinds of people in the world.

My brother and I retreated to our old bedroom after dessert. I tucked myself under the blankets of my bed and inhaled the smell of freshly washed sheets. I knew my parents would be happy with my relationship. 

Dongju’s bed was about a meter away from mine, on the other side of our small room. He was reading a novel. “Yah!” I threw my pillow at him, aiming so I wouldn’t hit the book out of his hands. My pillow hit him in the face instead. “Since when do you read novels?”

“Since Youngjo recommended this one,” he said, throwing my pillow back. “It took a little time to get into, but I like it now. Once you’re past the first seven chapters, the story really picks up.”

“You dork,” I teased. 

I opened KakaoTalk and started a video call with Giwook. He answered fast. He was sitting in his parents’ living room. “Have you told them about you-know-what?” I asked.

“I have,” he said with a nod.

“Me too!” I squealed. “My parents were so cool about it. They’re really happy for us, I think.” Giwook stared at me. “What? How did your parents take the news?”

“I don’t know,” he mumbled. “They’ve been really quiet since I told them. But they don’t seem like they’re upset. More like they’re just processing the information. My mom said she never would have guessed I liked boys in that way. My dad hasn’t said a word. It’s been two hours and he’s just completely silent.” He breathed a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, Myeong-ah.”

“Giwook-ah, cheer up,’ I said, trying to offer comfort. “I’m confident they still love you. You’re their squishy baby Giwookie. They can’t be mad at you for being happy.” Giwook’s eyes drooped. “Don’t be sad, jagiya. Please. I will love you so hard, nothing will ever hurt again.”

“I wish you were here,” he whispered.

“We’ll see each other soon,” I said. “Everything will be okay.”   


“You look like you’re going to bed.”

“I am, but I’ll stay up with you if you want me to.”

“No, go to bed.” Giwook let loose another heavy sigh. “Keep your phone on though. I might call you later.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “I love you, jagiya.”

Giwook glanced around the room before responding quietly, “I love you too. Sleep well.” Then he hung up.

He texted me early in the morning.  _ Can I see you after presents today?  _ I agreed to meet up after the family gift exchange.

Our parents are thoughtful, and we were each given one practical gift and one sentimental one. Dongju got a new pair of trainers to dance in, and a necklace decorated with a small cross. I got fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm while I play keyboard, and two dainty gold rings. I set my gift for Dongju in his lap. “Here’s your present, or whatever,” I mumbled. “I guess.” My apathetic facade fell and I grinned. “Open it!”

“It’s a… bracelet?” Dongju said, lifting the lid on the small box. He took the stainless steel bracelet out to study it closely. “With my name in hanja characters on it. Cool! Thank you, Myeong-ah. I will wear this.” He reached under the Christmas tree, drawing out a box that was bigger than the one I had given him. “Your boyfriend won’t match with you, but your twin will,” he said as he handed it over.

I opened it to find a mustard yellow crewneck sweatshirt. It was oversized and had some designer brand logo I didn’t recognize. “This looks warm and comfy,” I commented.

“And I have the same one in dark blue,” Dongju said. I smiled at my brother.

“When you two were kids, you begged me to stop dressing you alike!” Eomma pointed out. “And  _ now _ you’re fine with it? Will you make up your minds? If I knew you’d wear the same outfit again, I would have just bought you clothes.”

“It’s okay now,” Dongju said. “We see each other less often. We like to keep a close connection now. As corny as it sounds, I am really glad I have a twin.”

“Gross,” I laughed. “But I will wear matching sweatshirts with you. Thank you, Ju-yah.”

I spent a few more hours at home, enjoying being together with my family again. Soon enough, it was time for me to leave and meet Giwook. I triple-checked to make sure his gift was still in my backpack, and then I was on my way out the door. “Where are you going?” Appa asked. “Your brother suggested playing a card game.”

“Sorry,” I bowed. “I have to catch a bus and meet up with Giwook-ah. We have presents for each other. I know we live together and I could just do it tomorrow, but I guess he didn’t have a great time telling his parents about us last night.”

“Oh,” Appa said. “Stay safe out there.”

“Give our love to Giwook-ah,” Eomma called. “Tell him he’s welcome here whenever he wants to come over. Hug that boy for me.”

“I will!” I replied. I hiked my backpack up my shoulders a bit and began my walk to the bus stop.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, surprise! Another one! I was excited and didn't want to leave anyone hanging on, wondering what was happening with Giwook.  
> And I have the next chapter all written up for tomorrow.  
> I write like a fiend.  
> Enjoy!

^o^-> CyA

Christmas day was bright and sunny, and I could hear the  _ drip, drip, drip  _ of melting snow on the roofs of nearby businesses. I was standing by the bus stop near my parents’ place, waiting for a bus to stop and spit my boyfriend out. Oh, and I looked silly. I was wearing a version of Finn’s hat from Adventure Time, because my little cousin had picked it out for my Christmas present and he insisted I had to wear it when I left the house. I’m such a softie for little kids, I couldn’t say no.  _ Will I still get to have kids if I spend the rest of my life with a guy? _

A bus crawled to the curb and stopped with a loud  _ hiss.  _ I watched its passengers climb out: a young couple, probably college students, who walked away from the bus stop with her clinging to his arm. There was a mom carrying a pouty little girl. I smiled and waved and she buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. Next came a pretty boy in a black peacoat two sizes too big for him, carrying a lavender backpack. He grinned and waved at me with both hands. “Giwook-ah!” he exclaimed as he approached. That smile could melt any heart, and as lousy as I was feeling, I found myself smiling back as warmth spread from my heart out to the tips of my fingers and toes. Dongmyeong put his arms around me and squeezed. “That’s from my mother,” he said. “She misses you. She said to give you a hug and tell you she and my father love you and you’re welcome to visit them whenever you like. Cute hat, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I laughed. “Your parents are angels. I’m glad it seems to run in your family.”

Dongmyeong blushed and took my hand. “Where are we going?” he asked as we started walking down the sidewalk.

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “There really isn’t anyplace private around here. We should have gone home.”

“We still have one night left with our parents though,” Dongmyeong said. “It would be silly to go home and then back and home again tomorrow.” I gave his hand a tight squeeze. “So, what happened with your parents?”

“Well, I told them I’m in a relationship,” I began. “That’s not accurate. I told them I found love.” We stopped at an intersection and I hit a button to call for a crosswalk signal. “My parents got all excited and wanted to hear all about my girlfriend. So I said, ‘I don’t have a girlfriend. I’m with Son Dongmyeong.’ Then they just got really quiet and pretty much stayed that way the rest of the night.”

“Oh,” Dongmyeong breathed. “And then what?”

“This morning, before the rest of my family showed up, they brought it up again. My mom asked if there was something they should have done differently when they were raising me. She blamed her shortcomings as a mother for me having a boyfriend. But she’s always been an amazing mom. My parents loved me even when I didn’t deserve it. I mean, we all know I’ve been a shitty kid more than once in my life.” The signal flashed and we crossed the street together, still hand-in-hand. “And I told her there was nothing they did wrong. So she started blaming you. ‘I knew he would turn you gay!’” I mimicked my mother’s voice. “I’m pretty sure I’m not even gay. I still like girls. I just like you better. But my parents are from a totally different time, even more so than your parents. I was a late child, you know? So it was hard to explain that to them. I don’t really think she meant to accuse you of anything. It’s just her generation.”

“I’m not hurt by it, jagiya,” Dongmyeong said. He rubbed my hand with his thumb.

“I know they still love me,” I continued. “I’m sure it will take time to get used to the idea but I don’t believe I’ll be disowned or anything like that. I just hope they come around soon. I don’t like this feeling. Half of me is so happy to have you, and the other half is so hurt that my parents don’t feel the same way about us.” I gave his hand another squeeze. “That doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. You’re my favorite Pokemon.”

“What?” Dongmyeong giggled.

“I choose you,” I said. He laughed out loud at that. 

“You’re so cute, Giwook-ah,” he said. “If we weren’t out in the open right now, I’d kiss your squishy cheeks. If we could head into someplace warm, that would be awesome. I’m getting a little bit chilled, and I brought your present with me, so I’d like to give it to you.”

“Oh, I left yours at home,” I said quietly.

“That’s okay.” Dongmyeong shook his head. His bangs fell over his eyes and he puffed at them to flip them back out of the way. It was cute and made me smile. “I only brought yours because I thought I’d give it to you on the way home tomorrow.”

There was a noodle restaurant at the next corner that was open for business. We picked up our pace and ducked inside, the little bell on the door jingling cheerfully to announce our arrival. We both bowed slightly at the staff behind the counter. “I haven’t had lunch yet,” I said. “It’s about time for lunch, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” Dongmyeong replied. We placed an order for two bowls of jajangmyeon with extra pork and took up a table in the corner of the restaurant. 

I picked up my chopsticks and started mixing the sauce into the noodles and vegetables. The jajangmyeon was served with a side of white rice. “Things went well with your parents?” I asked as I lifted a big bite of noodles to my mouth.

“Great,” Dongmyeong said. “Just like I said they would. Oh,” he held out his left hand, “look at my rings.”

“Aww, they’re tiny,” I said as I took hold of his fingers and got a good look at the narrow, wire-like gold bands. “From your mom?”

“Mhm, she picked them,” he replied. “I like them so much. I think they really suit me.” He unzipped his backpack and dug through it. 

“You haven’t touched your lunch yet,” I said.

“It can wait,” he laughed. “My noodles aren’t going to grow legs and leave me. I want to give you your present.” He pulled a little gift bag out of his backpack, all green and decorated with sparkly red heart stickers. “Here it is!” He passed it to me over the table.

He had filled it with fluffy shreds of silver tissue paper. “I am going to make the biggest mess if I open this, Myeong-ah,” I said, my eyes growing wide. “Did you just get me tissue paper fluff for Christmas?”

“No, pabo!”  _ God, what is it with these twins and calling me stupid?  _ “Just open it!” I set my chopsticks down and pulled out a wad of fluff. Beneath it I found a bottle of metallic purple nail polish with a royal blue shift, depending on how the light hit. “You don’t have one like that yet and I thought it was pretty,” Dongmyeong explained. “There’s something else in the bag.” I reached in again and drew out a tiny hinged box. Dongmyeong was nibbling his lower lip, staring at me. I lifted the lid to find two silver-colored rings, each with a unique black geometric pinstripe design. “One of those is mine. Couple rings.” Dongmyeong’s cheeks bloomed pink. “Unless you don’t want it. Dongju-yah told me this morning that you won’t match with me.”

“Which one is yours?” I asked. He reached over and tapped the one in the top slot of the box. I took the ring from the bottom slot and slid it onto my right ring finger. “It fits perfectly.” I held the box out to Dongmyeong and he did the same thing with the other ring, admiring it on his hand.

“They’re made of titanium,” he said. “You really… wouldn’t have to take it off if you don’t want to.” His dark eyes found mine, shimmering in the light from the nearby window. “Do you really like it?” he whispered, lip quivering.

“I like it so much, nae sarang.” A big, dimply smile spread across Dongmyeong’s face. “I feel like I got you a pretty lame present by comparison,” I admitted as I picked up my chopsticks once again.

“Presents don’t matter. You could give me nothing but a kiss for Christmas and I would be happy.”

“My fluffball,” I laughed. “Eat your noodles before they get cold.”

We finished eating lunch and bowed to the staff once more on our way out of the restaurant, expressing our gratitude to them for being open during a holiday. “Do you want to come to my parents’ house with me for a while?” Dongmyeong asked. “Eomma and Appa would be happy to see you.”

“That’s probably a better idea than bringing you to see my parents,” I said. “At least for now. I’ll follow you home, like the stray dog I am.” 

Dongmyeong giggled and patted my head. “Good puppy,” he joked.

We rode the bus until we reached a stop less than a kilometer from the twins’ parents’ house, disembarked, and walked the rest of the way holding hands. Dongmyeong didn’t bother to knock, and the front door swung wide open as we stepped inside and removed our shoes. “Oh, Dongmyeong-ah, you’re back already,” said a dark-haired man on the sofa. He held a bundle of playing cards in his hands. Dongju knelt on the floor on the opposite side of the low table from his father, holding his own hand of cards. “Good to see you, Giwook-ah.”

“Hello, Abeoji,” I said with a polite bow.

A short woman emerged from the kitchen, hands pink from hot dishwater. “Did someone say Giwook-ah?” the twins’ mother asked as she approached. “Our Giwook-ah!” 

“Hello, Eomoni.” I bowed again.

“Don’t bow to me,” she laughed with a wave of her hand. “You’re one of mine. Come here.” Her arms locked around my shoulders. “Look at you. You’ve gotten so tall. Our Giwook-ah.” She stroked my hair. “We love you. Thank you for making Dongmyeong-ah so happy.” Tears sprang to my eyes and rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them, and I returned Eomoni’s hug. “I heard it’s been a hard couple of days for you. It’s okay, baby.” She kept petting my hair. “We’ve got you. Go sit down and I’ll get you some tea.” She pulled back and wiped my tears. “You’re such a good boy, Giwook-ah.  _ Such _ a good boy.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Dongmyeong's past with Jinseo is explained, and it may be quite painful for some of you.

Dongmyeong ~*~

There was a box in my lap. It was the day after Christmas, I was watching a drama on the sofa in the living room, and without warning, this box appeared in my lap. And it was heavy! “Is it a brick?” I asked Giwook.

“Mmm, nope!” He leaned against the backrest of the couch and draped an arm over my shoulders. “Guess again.”

I lifted the box and set it back down on my thighs. “Is it two bricks?”

“It is not any number of bricks,” he laughed. He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Dongju helped a lot, so if you like it, you should text him and thank him for putting up with your totally hopeless boyfriend at the shops for a few hours."

“What if I don’t like it?” I asked. “What do I do?”

“Tell me,” Giwook said. He brought his lips close to my ear and added, “I’ll give you a better present,” then winked as he backed away. My heart stuttered. Was he trying to be dirty? Because that came across pretty dirty.

I picked at the haphazardly tied red ribbon. It held a gift tag that wasn’t addressed to “Dongmyeong,” but to “nae sarang” instead. Giwook could be a real cheeseball. The bow, though it looked like it might tangle, slipped open smoothly when I tugged at one of its tails, and the ribbon fell away and draped itself over my legs.

“And you’re sure it’s not bricks?” I joked one more time.

“I’m sure.”

I opened the box. It was packed full of goodies for me. There were several of my favorite kinds of candy, a small box with a few bags of microwavable popcorn inside, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on blu-ray. Under all of that was a collection of single-use skincare: two sheet masks, two pairs of hand masks, and two pairs of foot masks, plus a bunch of my personal favorites. He had thrown in my favorite hydrogel under-eye patches, a sweet strawberry-flavored lip balm, and a package of pimple patches. A pair of soft, fluffy socks with cute heart-shaped slipper grips on the bottoms rounded out the package. “Good lord,” I breathed. “Two of everything… so we can share?”

“I thought it would be fun to have a self-care movie night with you,” Giwook said with a smile. “I have two boxes of Milkis in the fridge too. So, you like?”

“I love!” I gushed. “Giwook-ah, you bought me an at-home date night. This is amazing. And you called it shitty yesterday.”

“No,” Giwook argued, “I called it lame. Not shitty. Lame.”

“I have good news!” Hyungu bellowed as he burst into the apartment. “Hey, are you two the only ones home so far?” We nodded. Hyungu looked at the components of my gift, all spread out on the table. “What’s that mess?”

“It’s not a mess!” I pouted. “It’s my present, you butt.”

Hyungu laughed hard. “I don’t think you’ve called me a butt in like, five years! But anyway, my good news.”

“Yeah,” Giwook said with a nod. “Let’s hear your good news, hyung.”

“My family got along really well with Amanda.” He flashed us a big grin. “I was a little worried about bringing a white girl home for Christmas, but my parents took to her like that!” He snapped his fingers.

“I’m glad you guys are still doing well,” I said. “Giwook and I finally told our parents about our relationship.”

“Yah, chukahaeyo!” Hyungu congratulated us. 

Idol life goes back to normal very quickly after a break, and by the following morning, we were all back in the practice space together. It’s always hard switching back to work mode after time off, and I sat behind my keyboard, fiddling with my phone. I may have been scrolling through the #dongmyeong tag on Instagram, looking at all the great fansite photos and reading nice comments from fans. A lot of them weren’t in Korean, but I tried to read them anyway. I came across a photo of one of the times I managed to smooch Giwook on the cheek during a concert, and one of the comments said we looked like a couple. If only they knew.

“Should we start with one of ours or a cover?” Harin asked, muffled by the thick barrier in front of his kit.

“Cover,” Hyungu said. “Let’s do ‘Hip’ by Mamamoo. I want to smooth out my soloing.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed, stuffing my phone in my pocket. I pulled my white keytar into my lap and messed with the settings for a moment. “Keys are ready!”

“Drums are ready!” Harin announced.

“Vocals have been ready!” Yonghoon bragged.

“Guitar is ready!” Hyungu added.

“Bass string is broken,” Giwook sighed. “I have to change it.”

“Can you use a backup?” Hyungu asked, nodding at the stand between them. It held two of his guitars and one extra bass for Giwook.

“Yeah, but…” he paused. “I really like my bass.”

“It’s beautiful,” Yonghoon agreed, “and I promise you can have time to change your string after a couple of songs, but we have to get stuff done today. ‘Hip’ is a warm-up. We have stuff to write. Which, yes, is all the more reason for you to replace that string so you can write a piece that fits your 5-string instead of a standard little 4-string.”

“Okay.” Giwook switched his bass out for the shiny green backup. He tuned it. “Bass is ready!”

We didn’t practice quite as long as usual that day. Yonghoon stayed in the practice room long after everyone else left, as was his habit. Hyungu and Harin went home around eleven at night. Giwook and I went to his studio. He wanted to work on some beats and asked for my input.

“Ah,” I sighed as Giwook flipped the light switch in the studio. The lights overhead flickered to life. “Good memories in here.”

“Wanna make another one?” Giwook asked softly. He placed his hands on my hips and stared into my eyes. “Kiss me,” he whispered.

“I know you didn’t just bring me in here to make out with you,” I laughed. He shut me up with a slow kiss, his lips slotting perfectly with mine. “Whoa,” I breathed when he pulled away. It was like he was trying to light me on fire. I gently lifted his shirt just a little, placing my hands on his warm back. “This is a good memory, jagiya.”

“Will you tell me about Jinseo tonight? I’ve been patient.” He squeezed my hips with his fingers. “Nothing you can tell me will change how I feel about you if that’s what’s worrying you.”

I sighed and crossed the small room, plopping into one of the two chairs. “Have a seat,” I said, gesturing to the other chair. “It’s a bumpy ride.” Giwook sat down and waited quietly for me to begin. I took a deep breath. “So, you remember how I met Jinseo, right?”

“He was at a concert?” Giwook guessed.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “That one show we played last July. When I disappeared after the show, I went out for drinks with him. I know I should have told you guys where I was going, and I’m still really sorry I didn’t. I never meant to make anyone worry about me.” I ran my hand through my hair, pushing my bangs back off of my forehead. “Anyway, I gave him my number at the end of the night, not really expecting anything. He texted the next day and asked me out. So I thought, cool, here’s this hot, older guy who’s interested in me. Let’s see where this goes.”

“You thought  _ he  _ was hot?” Giwook scrunched up his face. “I’m afraid I disagree.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t see the toned muscles on that man.” Giwook frowned and poked at his own stomach. “Hey, stop. I like your squishy tummy. But back to my story now. Jinseo took me out for lunch. He paid for everything. He was a perfect gentleman. And then he invited me back to his apartment. And this little voice in my head was like, whoa. This is moving way too fast, right?” Giwook nodded. “But I went home with him anyway. I figured it would be a fun new experience for me. And, to be completely honest, it  _ was _ a lot of fun. I fully consented to everything we did that day, lost my virginity, and had a really good time. He asked if I wanted to keep seeing him, and I said yes.” I paused and looked to Giwook. He had his eyes downcast and he nervously fidgeted with his fingers. “For the next month, we dated like any normal couple. Dates didn’t always end in sex, but when they did, it was because we  _ both _ wanted it.”

“Why are you telling me about the sex?” Giwook asked. He was visibly uncomfortable.

“It’s going to become important in a minute,” I explained. “See, after that first month, Jinseo started getting… mean.” I took another deep breath, noting how shaky I was beginning to sound. I had never told this part of the story. “He started calling me nasty insults. He introduced me to his friends as his little cum rag, for example.” Giwook cringed. “And… he hit me a few times.” I watched my boyfriend’s hands ball up into fists. His jaw clenched. “Jinseo would slap my face if I said something he didn’t like. I tried to leave his apartment before he wanted me to one day and he grabbed my arm and twisted it until I said I would stay longer. I thought he would break a bone if I didn’t give in. It left a nasty bruise on my wrist. Do you remember?”

“I remember,” Giwook said, low and dark. “What a bastard.”

“I also stopped consenting to have sex. We still did it… after I said no. He kept going while I yelled at him to stop. I’d hit and scratch at him. He told me it was his kink. He liked me begging him to stop. So I kept letting it happen.” 

Giwook growled next to me. “You didn’t consent?” I nodded. “So he forced you to have sex.” I nodded again. “Myeong-ah, that’s  _ rape! _ ”

“I know!” I sighed and slumped forward in my chair, putting my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands. “I really thought that’s just what having an adult relationship was like. And I told him well ahead of time that I would be going to Japan with my band. I said I’d be home in a month. I said he should wait for me. He promised. I started a video call with him one night, close to the end of our schedule in Japan. When he answered, he was naked on his balcony, smoking a cigarette, and there was another man in the background. When I asked, he told me I was being stupid and selfish. He said I couldn’t expect him to be with me exclusively. I was a dumb little boy whose job was to keep his dick warm. I told him to go fuck himself, changed my phone number, and haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

“Who the fuck does he think he is?” Giwook finally exploded. He stood up and began pacing. “How could he - how could  _ anybody  _ take advantage of you like that?”

“In fairness, I was pretty naive,” I commented.

“I don’t care about that! Don’t try to make this fair for him!” Giwook stomped his foot on the floor. “What kind of festering shit sack treats another human being that way?” He dropped to his knees in front of me and took both my hands. “I wish you had told me all this sooner. I can’t believe I’ve been living without knowing what you were going through. You just seemed so… normal. Myeong-ah, I thought everything was okay. I’m so sorry.”

“That’s not your fault,” I said, pressing my lips to his forehead. “I’m the one who kept the secret. Jagiya, I’m sorry I never said anything. It’s just… there were at least five boys in my life who I knew would go on the warpath if I said I thought I was being abused. I didn’t want Jinseo to think I was immature. I mean, obviously I found out that he thought I was immature the entire time we dated. That’s not the point. I didn’t want him to hurt you guys too, or my brother. I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to any of you.” Giwook laid his head in my lap. “So, got any dirty secrets to tell me? Crazy ex-girlfriend stories?”

“No,” Giwook mumbled against my thigh. “If you ever run into that asshole again, please tell us. I love you. I want to keep you safe.”

“I promise I will tell you,” I said. I ran my fingers through his soft hair. “We still have work to do tonight. Show me your tracks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was heavy.  
> I'm so sorry.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, let's get fluffy, guys!

^o^-> CyA

Just a few days later, we were getting things ready for a New Year’s Eve celebration. ONEUS held the party in their apartment the previous year, so now it was our turn. Harin was on snack duty. He was in the kitchen, which I swear is his natural habitat, whipping up all kinds of treats. Hyungu, Dongmyeong, and I were decorating. Dongmyeong was standing on the sofa, trying to hang a banner all by himself. I was inflating balloons on the floor. Hyungu was laying out all the silly headbands, hats, and glasses, the whistles and party poppers, and the plates and cups. Yonghoon stood behind Dongmyeong, hands on his own hips, head tilted. “Dongmyeong-ah,” he said.

“Jesus, hyung!” Dongmyeong shrieked. He pressed his hand against the wall and took a couple of deep breaths. “If you startle me and I fall off the sofa and hit my head on the table and die, it’s all on you.”

“Sorry,” Yonghoon laughed. “I was just trying to tell you the banner is crooked.”

“Too gay to hang anything straight,” Dongmyeong explained, shrugging as he resumed messing around with the wall decor. “Sorry.”

“Too gay to - oh, I get it!” Harin said. He turned around and pointed a wooden spoon at Dongmyeong. “That kid’s funny!”

“Yonghoon-hyung, why don’t you jump up here and help me?” Dongmyeong suggested.

“No,” Yonghoon replied simply.

“Why?” Dongmyeong whined. “What exactly are you doing anyway?”

“The most important job of all,” Yonghoon boasted. “I’m supervising.”

I blew up a white balloon until I felt it was close to bursting, then let go of it. The balloon released, farting its way through the air to land on Yonghoon’s head. He shook it off and it fell to the floor. I snickered. “My balloon says you’re fired,” I said. “But if you’re really desperate, it might offer you an entry-level job cleaning the bathroom.”

“ _ I’m  _ not fired,” Yonghoon argued. “ _ You’re  _ fired.”

“Okay,” I said as I stood up, abandoning my balloons on the floor. “Enjoy balloon duty!” 

Yonghoon put his hand on my chest as I tried to walk past him. “Where are you going?” he demanded. “Sit back down.”

“I can’t. I’m fired.” I shrugged. “I guess I’m going to see if I can get a job making kimbap. Harin! Can I be your sous-chef?”

“Sure!” Harin said with a grin. “My starting rate of pay is zero won per hour, but if you’re really good, I’ll give you a raise.”

“What’s the raise?” I asked, approaching the kitchen counter.

“I have ingredients to make cookies for tonight. Your raise is you get to eat the excess cookie dough off the spoon at the end.”

“Oh, hell yes! Sign me up!” Harin started putting kimbap ingredients in a spot where we could both reach them. 

Yonghoon stood at the point where the kitchen met the living room. He looked back and forth between my new job as a kimbap sous-chef and my discarded balloons on the living room floor, scratching his head. “What the fuck just happened?” he finally asked.

“You lost an employee and gained a new job,” Dongmyeong said. “Blow those up, balloon boy.”

Yonghoon blinked at him. “Yeah, okay,” he shrugged, taking over my old spot on the floor.

Hyungu stepped up behind me and carefully placed a tiara on my head. He made Harin turn around and hooked a pair of goofy star-shaped sunglasses around his ears. “What are you doing?” Harin asked.

“Decorating,” Hyungu said.

“Decorating  _ us? _ ” Harin giggled.

“Yeah. I’m all done with my set-up. Maybe I can join Kitchen Team too?” Hyungu looked up at Harin through his long eyelashes.

“For the love of God,” Dongmyeong croaked from the sofa, “join Wall Team!” He blew his bangs out of his face. “Kitchen Team already has two people. Wall Team is just me. Balloon Team deserves to work by himself.”

I plopped pickled radish on top of my bed of rice-covered seaweed. “Go join Wall Team,” I said.

“But I want cookie dough too,” Hyungu whimpered.

One end of Dongmyeong’s banner detached from the wall and fluttered down. He let out a frustrated groan. “Please, hyung,” he begged. “Wall Team is struggling. Morale is low.” The middle of the banner detached next and Dongmyeong whined helplessly. “The tape is broken!”

Hyungu snorted. “No, it’s just not sticking,” he said. “Wait there. I know I have better tape by my bunk.” While he retreated to one of the bedrooms, I placed a sliced hot dog on top of my pickled radish. I hummed, scanning the ingredients, deciding what to add next. Maybe cheese? Maybe eggs? Hyungu emerged with a roll of tape. “I bought this stuff when one of my cables frayed,” he explained, tearing off bits of tape and holding them up for Dongmyeong. “I wanted to wrap it up so it wouldn’t short out until I could buy a new one.”

“Cool story,” Dongmyeong said, sticking the tape over the banner end he was holding. He let go, and it appeared the new tape was working. “Welcome to Wall Team. Get up here and help me with the banner and the rest of the decorations.”

I laid long slices of carrots over my hot dog. “You concentrate so hard,” Harin laughed.

“I want my raise,” I said.

We managed to get everything cooked, baked, and decorated before the party. And I’m pleased to report that Harin’s cookie dough was one of the most delicious things I had ever tasted.

Drinking with Hwanwoong is always interesting. He’s a rather clingy friend when he’s sober, and he’s a hundred times clingier with a few drinks. We were watching Youngjo and Yonghoon play a game of hwa-tu, a card game revolving around collecting matching sets of flowers. Hwanwoong, face flushed red from alcohol, draped himself over my back. His arms dangled from my shoulders. “Hyung,” he hiccupped, waving his arm to get Youngjo’s attention. “Hyung, last time you played with me, you -” Hwanwoong hiccupped again, “- were so lucky and you beat me! Why are you losing, hyung?”

“Shh, Woongie,” Youngjo hushed. “You’ll jinx me.”

“You think you can still beat me this late in the game?” Yonghoon laughed. “Think there’s a chance? Wanna raise the stakes?”

“Do it!” Hwanwoong cheered. He nearly knocked me over.

“Sorry, Hwanwoong-hyung,” Dongmyeong began, “but could I possibly borrow my boyfriend?”

“Uh, but he’s keeping me upright,” Hwanwoong protested with a giggle. He swatted at the earrings hanging from my right ear and let out a wheeze that sounded like a sad puppy. I know we call him little tiger and little sloth, but he always reminds me of a puppy.

_ Little… tiger-sloth? _

“Please?” Dongmyeong begged.

“Woongie, come here,” Youngjo said, patting the floor behind himself. “You can lean on me. Come on. You’ll be able to see my hand. You can help me win.”

Hwanwoong unhooked himself from my back and crawled to Youngjo, clinging to him in the same fashion. Dongmyeong sat criss-cross in the empty spot next to me. “Sorry,” he whispered. “You understand why I get a little jealous.”

“I do,” I whispered back, remembering how things ended between him and Jinseo. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, and he leaned his head into me. I planted a loud kiss on his crown.

“Cute,” Youngjo smirked. “You guys are so sweet I might throw up.”

“Bathroom’s that way,” Dongmyeong said as he pointed down the hall. 

“Hey, five minutes, everybody!” Keonhee announced, holding out his phone. He had set a timer to count down to midnight.

“Thank you, five minutes!” Hwanwoong slurred. It was the response we all gave when a stage manager told us we had five minutes left before a performance. Dongmyeong laughed, and I felt it more than I heard it.

When Keonhee eventually alerted us that we had only one minute left until midnight, everyone scrambled to pour one more shot of soju. I stood near the hallway with Dongmyeong clutching my arm. “Okay, countdown time!” Keonhee cried. “Ten… nine… eight…”

Soon enough, we had eleven intoxicated men counting down to the new year at the top of our lungs. “... one! Geonbae!” we shouted, raising our cups high. We downed the first shot of the new year, and I turned to look at Dongmyeong.

_ My  _ Dongmyeong. His ebony gaze was fixed on the festivity of the moment, watching our friends stumble over each other and hug. “Myeong-ah,” I whispered, nudging his hip with mine. He looked at me and smiled a smile that was like noon at midnight and I wondered exactly what I did to get so lucky. 

“Oh, we’re supposed to kiss, huh?” he whispered. I felt my blush spread from the center of my face out to the tips of my ears. “Come here.” Dongmyeong wrapped his right arm around the back of my neck and pulled me in, sealing our mouths together. When Dongju wolf-whistled at us, we pulled back. Dongmyeong’s nose nuzzled against mine. “You’re my first New Year’s kiss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update, friends:
> 
> I'm off work for the foreseeable future (because of COVID-19... yay?) and I have a lot of free time. I'm doing my best to fill it with exercise and songwriting, but your girl can only do so much. So I'm open to requests if anyone is interested.
> 
> Also, the next chapter will come with a bonus, and I'll explain it in the beginning note.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!
> 
> Hi! As Dongmyeong showed us in chapter 9, sexual consent is mandatory. Which is why you will find a blank space in this chapter, bookended with hyphens. That's what I call a "fade to black." If you're here for the cute fluff, you can take that fade as it is, and it won't affect the rest of the story for you.
> 
> If you like it smutty, there's a scene for you to read, located in another book in this series called Fade To Black. You can get to it by clicking the link to the next work. All the explicit, dirty stuff will be in that book, each scene labeled so you know which chapter of The Key To Everything it goes with.
> 
> I've done it this way because I don't want to force explicit smut on anyone who doesn't want to read it. And if you do read it, I'm not going to judge you for being a perv. I mean, I wrote it!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Dongmyeong ~*~

On January 3, Giwook asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. I pulled his arm tighter around my waist and lifted my head off his shoulder to look him in the eyes, though I could barely see them by the dim light from the TV screen. “You,” I said with a wink.

“You want to  _ do _ me?” Giwook laughed. He shifted his weight, tucking his feet under the blanket we were huddled under on the sofa. 

“Mmm,” I hummed, “I really do.” I snuggled into him again and refocused my attention on the movie we were watching. He had bought me Spider-Man for Christmas, but I wanted to watch Frozen instead.

“I think that can be arranged,” Giwook mumbled, just loud enough for me to hear. I imagined he was blushing like a tomato. “I mean, I’ve never done it before. You’ll have to teach me. But… I’m willing.”

I internally did a little happy dance. “I will guide you,” I agreed in a whisper, “but I expect you to explore for yourself too. It’s not all about coming. Half the fun is getting there. We have a week left before my birthday. You can change your mind about it if you want to.” I swallowed. “If you get too nervous or something, just tell me. I won’t be too disappointed.”

I fell asleep during the movie and woke to find Giwook trying very hard to reposition me for better comfort. I yawned. “You’re awake!” he whispered. The TV was off. The only light in the room came from the city lights outside the window. I wondered how long I had been out. As if he read my mind, Giwook said, “You fell asleep right after Anna found Elsa in the ice castle.”

“I’m sorry,” I said as I rubbed my eyes. “You’re just such a good pillow.”  _ And I feel so safe with you. _

“I can be a pillow,” he chuckled. “I was going to try to carry you to bed, but I don’t know if I can. I didn’t want to risk dropping you.” He paused. “Maybe I should go to the gym with you sometime.”

“I would really like that. Although, you know it’s not enough just to start working out.” I jabbed my finger into his shoulder. “You have to stick. With. It. Or you’ll never get anywhere. You’ll just keep complaining about your squishy belly.”

“Who’s complaining?” Giwook asked. “This is my ramen stash.” He patted his stomach and I laughed. “Or maybe I’m made of tteok.”

“Your cheeks are made of tteok,” I teased, putting my hands on both sides of his face. “Give me kisses.”

“And then it’s bedtime,” Giwook agreed. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, pulling back sooner than I wanted. “Let’s go. Sleepy time.” I let him lead me to bed.

ONEUS had a tight schedule during Dongju’s and my last birthday. They gave him a bit of leeway for this one. He was told to spend the day with his twin. That’s why I woke up to my brother’s face ten centimeters from mine on the morning of our birthday. That, and Giwook had let him in. As Dongju’s face came into focus, I held my breath. “Hello, Myeong-ah,” he whispered.

“Ju-yah,” I grunted. Giwook stood behind him, arms folded, laughing quietly.

“Aren’t you going to wish me a happy birthday?” Dongju asked.

“No,” I said. “Why are you in my face?”

“Because I have the day off this time,” he replied, drawing closer. I rolled away and covered my head with my pillow. “We’re supposed to hang out. We can play games, get some chimaek, and have cake tonight. Celebrate the fact we made it through another year. Let’s look forward to the future.”

“Why do you want chimaek?” I groaned. 

“Fried chicken and beer go well together,” Dongju answered. “That’s why.”

“I don’t like beer.”

“Then just have chicken! Dongmyeong-ah, come on!” Dongju crawled into my bunk and shook me. “We get to spend our birthday together! We haven’t done that in _so_ _long!_ Myeong-ah, _please_ get out of bed and play with me! I will be nice to you all day. I promise.”

I removed the pillow from my head and stared at my brother skeptically. “No being a little shit today?”

“I’m never a little shit.” I whacked Dongju with my pillow. “Ah! I mean of course, no being a little shit today. Just nice, fun brother stuff. My ONEUS hyungs are all busy too. If you don’t spend the day with me, I’ll be all alone. And it’s our birthday, Myeong-ah. Don’t leave me alone on our birthday.”

I sighed. “If you get out of the way, I’ll get up and get ready.” Dongju was out of my bunk in a snap. “Keep him busy for me, jagiya?” I asked Giwook as I extracted myself from the blankets.

“Will do!” Giwook said.

After showering, dressing, and putting on a little subtle makeup, I went hunting for my boyfriend and my brother. I found them on the sofa together. “Seriously?” I heard Giwook exclaim. “You guys honestly did that by accident?”

“Yeah,” Dongju laughed. “We didn’t know we wore the same cologne until he visited me in the studio when I was recording vocals for the first mini album. And then we were like, whoa.”

“That’s crazy!” Giwook squealed. “Must be one of those weird twin things. Like how you guys get sympathy sickness.”

“That’s literally the worst part of being a twin,” Dongju groaned. “Every time I get sick I have to wonder if I’m actually sick, or if I’m just feeling under the weather because Dongmyeong-ah is sick.”

“I wish I had a twin.”

“No, you don’t,” Dongju and I said in unison. He looked up at me. “Ready for twin time?” I asked.

“I was born ready,” Dongju replied, “quite literally, in fact.”

We spent most of the morning playing video games in ONEUS’ empty apartment. Dongju is a little better than I am at all the games he chose, but I knocked his socks off in a few Mario Kart races. We had ramen at the apartment for lunch, and went out for chimaek for dinner. Well, Dongju had chimaek. I hate beer.

We went to the RBW company cafe later on in the night for cheesecake. Free cheesecake after the cafe’s closing time was one of the things the company was doing for our birthday. We also discovered the cafe had been displaying banners and signs announcing our birthday all day long.

The staff at the cafe placed us in an unnecessarily large booth for two relatively small young men. We played with our phones while we waited for our cheesecake. “Hey, that’s no way to spend your birthday,” said a voice near our booth. It sounded awfully familiar. We looked up at the same time.

“Hyungs!” Dongju exploded. “And Giwook-ah!”

“I’m literally  _ fourteen days  _ younger!” Giwook cried. “It’s entirely possible that you guys were just leaving the hospital as I was being born.”

All nine of our groupmates stood before us. Youngjo, Yonghoon, and Geonhak each held a different flavor of cheesecake. “You guys were supposed to be too busy to celebrate!” Dongju pointed an accusatory finger at his five hyungs. 

“Surprise!” Hwanwoong squeaked. He waved his hands excitedly. Keonhee held his own hand in front of his face, palm up, and blew confetti on us.

“Well, that was annoying,” Dongju complained.

“Then my work here is done,” Keonhee said with a smug smile.

The boys took up the remaining seats at our booth, and  _ then  _ I understood why we were seated at the biggest table in the cafe. “Miss me, nae sarang?” Giwook asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and leaning in to kiss my cheek. I nodded. 

“Okay, cute,” Keonhee said. “Now, let’s sing so we can have cake.”

“You’re literally only here for the cake,” I accused. “You don’t like us at all.”

“You caught me,” he agreed sarcastically. “I came here to attack you with confetti and eat your cake. I love you both. Shut up and be honored on your birthday.”

After all the festivities, I again found myself cuddling on the sofa with Giwook. Yonghoon, Hyungu, and Harin all headed for the door at the same time. “Wait, where are you guys going?” I asked.

“I’m going to spend the night with Amanda,” Hyungu said. “She wants me to teach her guitar.”

“Harin and I are going across the hall for the night,” Yonghoon explained. “Happy birthday, Dongmyeong-ah.”

I turned to Giwook. “And where are  _ you  _ going tonight?” I asked.

“Nowhere,” he replied. “I asked for a night alone with you.” His cheeks reddened. “If you still want me for your birthday present.”

“Have fun!” Harin said with a wink and a wave.

As soon as the door shut behind our hyungs, Giwook's mouth was on mine. His hands roamed my body sloppily, pushing my shirt up, fingers digging into my skin. After being denied so many times, the shock of his eagerness for me was like being thrown into cold water. "Jagiya," I gasped, putting a few centimeters between our faces so I could breathe. Giwook let out a short whine in response. "We could at least go to the bedroom."

\---

\---

I glanced just one last time at my rumpled bed. Now clean and warm, and very satisfied, Giwook and I climbed up into his bunk together. “How do you feel?” he whispered as I nestled against him.

“A little sore,” I said. “Which is sort of to be expected, since this was my first time in many months. How do you feel?”

“Great!”

“Really?” Giwook nodded. “Was I your first?”

“My first boy,” he admitted. “I had a really sloppy quickie with one of the girls I dated in high school.”

“Weird. Remind me to ask you sometime how you even get it up for a girl.”

“Girls are hot,” he argued.

“Girls are pretty,” I argued. “You’re hot. Do you want to switch next time? That would be a first for both of us.”

“Uh,” Giwook hesitated. “I’ll have a conversation with my butt about it and see what he thinks. But yeah, probably. Hey, Myeong-ah.”

“Hey, Giwook-ah?”

“Happy birthday.” He kissed me to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

^o^-> CyA

We spent the next week practicing for an appearance on a music program. We would be performing a cover. It seemed like all we did was play covers, but if it got us recognized, I was all for it.

We arrived at the television studio a little before five in the morning. Waiting in the green room backstage, I let out a yawn so big, I probably could have fit my whole fist in my mouth. We were going through the process of wardrobe and hair and makeup styling before the tech rehearsal, where we would run through the whole song wearing weird bibs with our names on them. Each camera operator was assigned certain shots of certain members, so they needed to be able to see our names and know exactly what we were going to do and when. After that, we would be free to eat snacks and take naps while we waited to be called to the stage, so long as we didn’t mess ourselves up like that time Hyungu spilled a Coke on his outfit and had to change like, ten minutes before stage call.

I was one of the first dressed, wearing heavy, almost military-esque fashion. My boots added a few centimeters of height. I looked tough, until you caught sight of my face. Curse this babyface! We had a theme for this stage. We were supposed to look dark, tough, and sexy. Kind of felt like I was ruining it. Even Dongmyeong, who has always been the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen, pulled it off better than I did with his patented bad bitch glare.

Harin managed to fall asleep in the makeup chair. Can’t relate. I always make a great effort to stay awake when someone is working on me. They often need you to reposition yourself, tilt your head, move your eyes, and so on and so forth. I always give props to the stylists who work on idols. They have saintly levels of patience.

Of course, as soon as my makeup was done, I was ready to pass out on one of the soft sofas in our private backstage cubicle. I wasn’t allowed to. One of our styling noonas fastened our name bibs around our bodies. “You guys look exhausted,” she said, pouting. She wrapped Yonghoon’s bib around his torso, fumbling a little with the straps. 

“Why aren’t you as tired as us?” he asked her.

“I’m an early riser,” she explained. Yonghoon let out a small cry of pain when she pushed a little too hard against his ribcage. “I’m so sorry, Yonghoon-ssi!” She backed away and bowed. “The snaps are hard to fasten sometimes. Are you okay? Will it bruise?”

“I probably won’t have bruises,” Yonghoon laughed. “I’m not so fragile. It just hurt a little. You can stop bowing.” Noona stood up straight and looked up at him under her straight-cut bangs, pouting slightly. Yonghoon smiled at her and put a hand over his heart. “So cute,” he flirted.

“Oh… I should go over there,” Noona mumbled. “I don’t want to make you late for rehearsal.” Making herself even smaller, she sped off to the vanity to tidy things a little.

“You’re such a charmer, hyung!” Harin teased. “So charming, you scared her away.”

No matter how long I do this, I don’t think I’ll ever be used to having a huge camera thrust into my face while I perform. But hey, it’s what we always wanted, isn’t it? After we finished one run-through of the song, some of the production team huddled to discuss shots. They were talking about when they wanted close-ups of which members. They made us run the song twice more, then set us free. 

We retreated back to our cubicle again and I flopped down on a sofa, throwing one leg over the armrest and folding my arms over my stomach. “Wake me at five minutes,” I grumbled as my eyelids finally snapped shut.

I must have had a pretty decent nap. When I woke, Hyungu was lying down, taking up the rest of the sofa, with his head on my thigh. He was passed out cold. Dongmyeong was sleeping on the other sofa while Harin and Yonghoon posed for selcas and mugged for the backstage behind-the-scenes cameras. Shifting my weight was enough to wake Hyungu, and he lifted his head to let me get up off the sofa. As soon as I was up, his head dropped onto the cushion. “You left a nice warm spot here,” he mumbled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” I chuckled. 

I grabbed a snack from the food table and dropped onto Dongmyeong’s sofa, right next to him. I landed hard enough to jolt him awake. “Ugh, what, Giwook-ah?” he groaned. I held out one of my green apple slices. “Yum,” he said, his whole demeanor changing as he opened his mouth to receive the snack. 

“Ready to hit the stage?” Yonghoon asked as he approached us. “They dropped by a couple minutes ago to give us the ten-minute warning. If you need any touch-ups, now is the time.”

“Oh, I’ll need to redo my lipstick!” Dongmyeong whined through a mouthful of apple. 

“Oh, we all need that,” Yonghoon chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. But I should wake Hyungu. He’s sleeping pretty hard. He might need more than a lipstick touch-up.” He crossed to the other sofa and gently shook Hyungu out of his nap. “Hey, little polar bear,” Yonghoon whispered softly. “Time to get up. Let’s check your hair. Come on, sit up.”

Yonghoon is such a good hyung. He joined a band full of kids four and six years younger than himself, all because he believed in us. He stays because he believes in us. I can never be thankful enough.

“Five minutes!” called a stage manager, poking his head into our cubicle. “Five minutes for ONEWE!”

“Thank you, five minutes!” we called back. It was how we confirmed that we not only heard the warning, but heard it correctly. 

Hyungu’s perfectly messy hair was a little flattened in the back from the way he had been sleeping and it had to be fluffed again. We all had to have our lipstick wiped off and reapplied.

Luckily for Yonghoon, he got his awkward stylist noona again. Her cheeks flushed beet red as she brushed a subtle tint on his lips, resting her pinky on his chin to keep her hand steady. 

“ONEWE, we need you side-stage now,” the same stage manager said. “You’re on as soon as you can get there.”

“Yes, sir,” we said. Those of us with instruments - Dongmyeong’s keytar, Hyungu’s guitar, and my bass - picked them up and filed out of the cubicle.

“Noona,” Yonghoon said, calling for the shy stylist’s attention as he plugged his in-ear monitors into the wireless pack that would clip to the back of his pants. “Noona, tell me your name.”

“Lee Jangmi,” she barely squeaked, eyes wide.

“Lee Jangmi?” Yonghoon repeated. “Lee Jangmi-ssi, thank you for everything. You’ve been wonderful.” He winked, then bowed and spun on his heels to follow us out to the stage. I didn’t stay to find out if she fainted after that.

The audience was receptive, which isn’t the best-case scenario, but it could have been worse. In the best case, they scream and cheer and tell us they love us. Most people were just sort of… okay with us being there. Which was fine. They were all there to see bigger acts anyway, like Pentagon. Still, we had some dedicated fans who showed up just to watch us. And being present during the recording of one of these music shows isn’t even that great, since they typically don’t allow bands to play their instruments live. We weren’t even plugged into anything. Sometimes Day6 gets lucky and they get to actually perform, but they’re a much more popular band than we are.

As we made our way from the studio building out to the big, white van that would take us home, we passed through the center of a crowd of a few dozen fans who clapped and cheered, snapping photos the whole time. We smiled and waved at them on our way to the van. Harin paused to touch hands with a few of them. He’s such a people-pleaser.

We piled into the van and buckled our seatbelts, ready for the ride home. “That was pretty good,” I said. “I think that was pretty good. Did you see all those people just now? I’m glad we’re getting some recognition again.”

“Uh-huh,” Dongmyeong said beside me. He sounded hollow. I looked over to find him staring straight ahead, looking sick. His face was pale and he was breathing heavily. I took his hand in mine. It was clammy.

“Myeong-ah, nae sarang, are you okay?” I asked.

“Uh, no,” he replied, voice trembling.

“Are you sick? Should we take you to the hospital?” Yonghoon asked. So he had noticed the same thing.

“I’m well,” Dongmyeong said. “I’m just scared.” He swallowed hard. “Terrified, actually. I think I saw Jinseo.”

“What?” I nearly shouted.

“Please, Giwook-ah, not so loud,” he begged. “When we were leaving the building, I think he was there. You know, in the crowd. I saw him.” I squeezed his hand. “I don’t want him to come back.” The words tumbled out of his mouth fast and panicky. “Tell me he’s not coming back. I don’t want him stalking me. I never wanted to see him again.”

“Hey, take a deep breath,” Hyungu said. His voice was calm but he looked at Dongmyeong with concern etched into his features. “Tell us what’s going on, Dongmyeong-ah. We’re your friends. We’re your hyungs. You can talk to us.”

By the time Dongmyeong finished relaying the story he had already told me in my studio, we were pulling up in front of the apartment building. At that point, our hyungs all looked as sick as Dongmyeong had at the beginning of the ride. We stepped out of the van and onto the sidewalk in front of the building. “So, uh, band meeting,” Yonghoon said. “Like, the moment we get into the apartment. Nobody goes anywhere until we get this figured out.”

When we got inside, I stood behind Dongmyeong in the living room, wrapping my arms protectively around his shoulders. Yonghoon took a bottle of beer out of the fridge, popped the cap, and took a long drink. We all stood silently in a circle until Harin cleared his throat. “You’re sure you saw him?” he asked hesitantly.

“Not a hundred percent,” Dongmyeong replied. “It definitely looked like him. I guess it could have been someone with a similar face.”

“We can’t take that risk,” Yonghoon said. “If there’s any chance you’re not safe, something has to be done to protect you. We need a security detail or something.” He thought for a moment. “As leader, I think it’s my duty to handle this. I’ll talk to the company and see what can be done. Until I know more, Dongmyeong-ah,” he stared intently at my boyfriend’s face, “you go nowhere by yourself. I don’t care if you’re just leaving the practice space to use the bathroom, one of us goes with you. I won’t put your safety in jeopardy.”

“I won’t let him out of my sight,” I promised, tightening my grip on Dongmyeong’s shoulders. “We’re going to get through this, and you’ll come out just fine on the other end, Myeong-ah,” I whispered to him.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Dongmyeong said, extracting himself from my arms. “Am I safe to go to the bathroom by myself at home, or do I need an escort?”

“Go,” Yonghoon said. Dongmyeong disappeared down the hall. “Why didn’t he tell us?” Yonghoon demanded, turning his attention to me.

“He doesn’t want any of us getting hurt,” I said. “He’s afraid Jinseo will come after us and ONEUS.”

“So if that was Jinseo,” Hyungu began.

“We’re all in danger,” I finished.


	13. Chapter 13

Dongmyeong ~*~

Of course Giwook had to go and tell our hyungs everyone was in danger. Of fucking  _ course  _ he did, forcing me to pay a visit to my brother’s group to spill everything to them as well. I never wanted everyone to freak out the way they were. I never wanted Dongju to know what Jinseo did to me. 

I crossed the hallway with Giwook escorting me, refusing to hold his hand. I was a little angry with him for what he said while I was busy emptying my stomach in the bathroom. You don’t just go behind someone’s back and say everyone should be on high alert because of them. Especially when it’s your boyfriend. I told him not to breathe a word of our conversation to anyone.

We rang the bell in front of ONEUS’ door and waited for an answer. While we stood there together, Giwook grabbed for my hand. I pulled away and bit my lip. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I just don’t think we should be keeping secrets at a time like this.”

“Fuck off, would you?” I snapped as my eyes welled with tears. Giwook took a step back. “I don’t need a fucking chaperone to visit my brother across a fucking hallway.”

“I’m not leaving you,” he said, pouting. “You’re my love.” I wiped the few stubborn tears that insisted on falling down my cheeks. He couldn’t melt me that easily. Not this time. I reached out and rang the bell again. “What’s taking them so long?” Giwook asked. “Everyone is home today, aren’t they?”

I punched in the access code. Our groups had agreed to a rule of only unlocking each other’s apartments if it was necessary. No one was answering, and Giwook and I couldn’t just go back across the hall without talking to someone inside. When we stepped through the door, the apartment was silent. “No one is home today, Giwook,” I growled. I dug my phone out of my pocket, speed-dialing Dongju. He answered after several rings. “Where the  _ fuck  _ are you?” I demanded.

“In our usual practice space,” Dongju replied. “Myeong-ah, you sound upset. What’s-”

I hung up and half-screamed in frustration. “Well, I guess you get to walk me to the fucking company now!” I said, pushing past Giwook and back into the hallway. “Come on. Keep up with me.” He followed, locking the door behind us. “God, I can’t tell everyone in a practice space at the company! They have CCTV in all the rooms. RBW monitors everything we do and say when we’re there.”

“Doesn’t that technically make it the safest place we can be right now?” Giwook asked.

I stopped in my tracks and spun around to point my finger right in his face. “You told my secret!” I yelled, hot tears streaking down my face. “What did I say, Giwook? I asked you, not just as your boyfriend, but as your  _ best _ friend, not to tell anyone  _ anything _ we talked about in your studio that day! I said I didn’t want anyone else involved!”

“If you think we’re in danger, we’re all involved!” Giwook yelled back. He took a deep breath and evened his tone. “Myeong-ah, we all love you.”

I set my jaw and looked at the floor. “Let’s go,” I said, walking a little closer to my boyfriend. We left the apartment building and he walked me to the RBW company campus.

“What can I do so you won’t be angry with me?” he asked softly. He placed his hand on the small of my back as we approached the door of the practice space. We could already hear the music they were dancing to.

“Give me some time to cool off,” I said. “Sleep in your own bunk tonight.” I knew as I said them that those words would sting like a slap to the face, but it’s not like I could have sucked them back in before they reached Giwook’s ears. He reared back as though I really had struck him. “I’m sorry. I feel betrayed.” I opened the door to the practice space and we caught the very end of a dance routine.

“Are you here to watch again?” Hwanwoong asked. He shut the music off and wiped his sweaty face with a towel.

“Not exactly, although you guys look like you’re doing amazing,” I replied. “This will be another fantastic comeback. Beginning of next month, right? That’s when it comes out?”

Youngjo nodded. “And we will be busy as hell for a while,” he confirmed. “If you’re not here to watch, then what’s up?”

I looked around the room, noting the CCTV cameras set up near the ceiling in two corners. “I have to talk to you guys,” I sighed. “It’s pretty important, I guess. You may want to sit down.”

“You’re  _ not  _ leaving again,” Dongju said as he plopped cross-legged on the floor. “Idol life is a twin thing. We’re in this together.”

“I’m not leaving again,” I said. “I promise, Ju-yah. But you’re still not going to like what I have to say.” I took a deep breath. “Everybody get ready for some shit, okay?” And, for only the third time in my life, I told the whole story. I ended with telling them I was afraid I had seen Jinseo that very day, and that Yonghoon decided it was safer for everyone if I confessed to my past. “So, basically, my members think all eleven of us are in danger because of my ex,” I finished. “What do you think?”

“I think I need his address,” Dongju said, cracking his knuckles. “And a brick.”

“I’ll go with you,” Geonhak said. “I can carry a whole sack of bricks.”

“And if you find out he really is stalking you?” Seoho asked. “What then?” He suddenly gasped. “Oh god, what if he actually  _ talks  _ to you? You shouldn’t leave your apartment!”

“I refuse to let Jinseo keep me in hiding,” I said. “I am scared, to be sure. But he can’t control my life. That asshole abused me. He ra-” I couldn’t finish the word. “He did things to me. He’s unforgivable. He doesn’t deserve that much power over me just because of our past.”

“If he’s really stalking Dongmyeong-ah,” Giwook began, “we can get the authorities involved.”

“You’ll have a scandal!” Keonhee cried. “Dispatch will be all over you!”

“News will break that you’re gay,” Hwanwoong said, nodding. “That’s your scandal. Whether you want them to or not, the whole world is going to find out you like boys.”

“I know,” I said. I rubbed my face with my hands. “I know that’s how things will go. I want to see if the company will let me come out publicly for myself before anything like that can happen.”

“What about me?” Giwook asked timidly beside me.

“What  _ about _ you?” I asked, a little snippier than I really meant to. “No one has to know we’re dating.”

“Are you guys okay?” Dongju asked.

“We will be fine,” I said. “You guys will be fine too. I’m sure I still have a picture of Jinseo somewhere in cloud storage. I’ll send it out in a mass message to everyone, ONEUS and ONEWE, so you’ll know him if you see him.”

“What if we see him?” Hwanwoong asked.

“There will be something in place for that after Yonghoon talks with the company,” I said. “If we have a security detail, you can probably report to them. I don’t know if I’m worth that kind of money to RBW though. We’re not exactly their cash cow.” I paused, looking at the group of boys sitting before me. “I think Giwook and I should go home now and let you guys finish practicing. We interrupted. Ju-yah, I’m sorry I hung up on you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Myeong-ah,” Dongju shook his head. “Go home. Be safe. I’ll call you tonight.”

“You better,” I said as Giwook and I turned around to leave.

My icy heart was warming to Giwook again, very slowly. I didn’t recoil when he grabbed my hand on the way home. I was still angry though. 

We sat on the living room sofa when we got home. I sat in the middle seat, Hyungu on my right, Giwook moping on my left. He had his elbow on the armrest and his head in his hand, pouting. I started scouring my cloud storage. “What are you doing?” Hyungu asked, peering at my iPhone’s screen over my shoulder.

“I’m finding a picture of Jinseo,” I explained. “I’m going to send it to all of you, so we can all recognize him if we see him.”

“That’s a really good idea,” Yonghoon praised. “Now, in the interest of taking this shit seriously, I’m off to a meeting. I called and asked for an emergency meeting with the security department at the company. They wouldn’t do an emergency meeting if no one was hurt or in imminent danger, so I asked for their earliest convenience. I just got a text asking me to meet. I’ll lobby as hard as I can on your behalf, Dongmyeong-ah.”

“Thanks,” I said.

Then, I found it. I knew there would still be traces of him in my cloud storage. I downloaded the photo. It was a selca from the first month we spent together, back when I thought Jinseo was a good boyfriend. Back before all the pain. I frowned at myself in the photo. I was grinning, my arm wrapped around the back of his neck. He had both arms around my waist, smiling with his lips closed. I attached it to a message and sent it out to my members and all of ONEUS. I held my phone out at arm’s length and let go, letting it drop to the floor. This time, the crying started with one big, loud gasp.

Giwook, still the best thing to ever happen to me, even when I was upset with him, pulled me into his lap and held me while sobs wracked my body. He had positioned me so that I straddled his lap and could bury my face in his shoulder. He gently rubbed my back, trying to help me calm down. “I was right,” I whimpered when I could speak. “It really was him.”

“Shh.” Giwook pressed his lips to my neck. “You’re okay. I’m here. You’re safe right here, Myeong-ah. I love you.”

I couldn’t stop crying. Giwook was so right for me in so many ways, stubbornly refusing to let me hate him for spilling my secret. My phone was chiming and vibrating on the floor, receiving replies from everyone. Hyungu bent down and picked it up. “Do you want to see any of it?” he asked, holding my phone out towards me.

“No,” I sobbed.

“Okay,” he said. “Do you want me to read any of it to you?” I shook my head. Hyungu set my phone on the table in front of us.

“Hey, I saw that guy today too,” Harin said. He was looking very intently at the selca. “He was toward the back of the crowd when we were leaving, right? He barely moved. Just stared at us. I thought he was weird.”

“Well, at least I know I’m not fucking crazy,” I mumbled. Giwook reached up and started wiping at my tears. “Not that it’s comforting. I’d rather be crazy.”

“How much older is he?” Harin asked.

“Five years,” I replied.

“Has he served yet?” Hyungu asked, now also looking at the selca. 

“Not that I know of,” I said. “I don’t know that he didn’t enlist at some point after we broke up. But he’d still be in the military if that was the case. You think they would have let him off-base for a K-pop TV show?”

“Maybe not for that specifically,” Hyungu said, “but soldiers do get to take leave sometimes. And they do all sorts of crazy shit when they do.”

“His hair looked the same as before,” I argued. “I don’t think he’s in the military. He would have had to cut it.”

“Then where has he been all this time?” Hyungu asked.

“I don’t even want to know,” I mumbled. Giwook squeezed me extra tightly. I was still mad, but thankful for the comfort. “Keonhee-hyung and Hwanwoong-hyung made an interesting observation when I told ONEUS what was going on.”

“What’s that?” Harin asked.

“If we end up getting the police involved, it will spark a scandal,” I explained. “Everyone will find out I’m gay from Dispatch.”

“Whoa, hey,” Hyungu began, putting his hand on my knee, “everyone knows Dispatch is questionable at best.”

“If you get the okay to come out for yourself, I still want to be part of that,” Giwook said. “It’s not like things can get worse for me. We already know my parents don’t approve. Being with you does something wild to my heart. If the world is going to know who you really are, I want them to know you’re mine.”

“Am I still yours?” I whispered. “I’ve been so mean all day. I’m still angry.”

“You’re still mine,” Giwook said, putting his forehead on my shoulder. “Myeong-ah, I don’t give up that easily.”

“Can you hand me my phone?” I asked. Hyungu took it off the table and passed it to me. Most of the messages were from ONEUS. They all said they would keep their eyes peeled for him. Dongju called him an ugly bastard. I smiled.

The last message was from Yonghoon:  _ I forwarded this photo to security. They’re sending it out in a company-wide email. Everyone is looking out for you, Dongmyeong-ah. There are police officers on their way here now. I’ll be giving them the full story too. They will tell us what can be done at this point. We will keep you safe. _

Sleeping alone that night made my bunk feel terribly empty.


	14. Chapter 14

^o^-> CyA

Three nights. That’s how long I spent sleeping alone in my bunk before Dongmyeong forgave me enough to let me share again. He’s the stubborn type. I think he was afraid, though he kept putting on a tough front. I think he would have made me sleep alone for quite a bit longer if he wasn’t afraid.

There were four days left until my birthday. The hyungs wanted to know how I wanted to celebrate. I ate dinner quietly and watched them discuss ideas for my birthday party. Maybe we could do a VLive. We could have a mukbang together at the apartment. We could keep it a private affair and just get barbecue. I scooted a little more to my right, letting my knee bump against Dongmyeong’s. His chopsticks paused on their way to his mouth and he glanced at me. I thought he’d move away. To my surprise, Dongmyeong bumped me back as he chewed a mouthful of noodles. He swallowed and smiled at me, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. They didn’t crinkle at the corners and turn crescent-shaped and sparkly.

“... And end the night at a noraebang!” Yonghoon nearly shouted, throwing his arms in the air. “What do you think, Wook-ah?”

“About what?” I asked.

“About what?” Yonghoon whined. “About our plan for your birthday! Sounds good, right?”

“I don’t want to do anything big,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m more than happy with a livestream for our fans. We wouldn’t have to leave the apartment for that. Myeong-ah would be safer that way.”

“Giwook-ah,” Dongmyeong sighed beside me. He set his chopsticks down on the table and took a sip of the water in his glass. “I… appreciate that you’re thinking about my safety. You’re a good boyfriend. But I am losing my mind being all cooped up like this. Let me take you on a date. Pick somewhere for us all to go for your birthday. Do  _ something. _ I need to get out of this apartment. And since you guys aren’t letting me leave by myself, I’m relying on you. You’re my companion now.”

“Can we do a VLive here and noraebang that night?” I asked. Dongmyeong clapped excitedly.

“Yes, we can,” he said. He turned to our hyungs. “We can do that! Let’s do that.”

“Let’s do that!” Yonghoon agreed with a big smile. “We can invite the others for the noraebang if they’re not busy with practice. Remind me to tell security where we’re going before we leave that night.”

“Do we really need a security guard?” Dongmyeong huffed.

“I really hope not,” Yonghoon replied.

Even after three nights in separate beds, I couldn’t get Dongmyeong to kiss me. When we retreated to our room to go to bed that night, we changed into sleep clothes and I leaned in for a kiss on his plush lips. He turned his head at the last second and my kiss landed on his cheek instead. “Myeong-ah, please?” I begged.

“Please what?” he asked, feigning ignorance. I sighed heavily.

“Please kiss me!” I whispered. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “I don’t know how many times I’ve apologized.”

“Then just assume you haven’t apologized enough,” he said. “Giwook-ah, I’m trying. I hate being treated like I’m fragile. I know I’m small, but I don’t want to feel like it. You guys are making me feel small.”

“You know what makes me feel small?” I asked. Our eyes met. “Come here.” I took Dongmyeong’s hand and led him out to the living room. I pulled back the curtain on the big sliding window, revealing the lights of Seoul. Thousands, millions of them, shimmering and twinkling, stretching out to the horizon. “ _ This _ makes me feel small,” I whispered, still clutching his hand in mine. “I am one of literally billions of people on this planet, millions in this country alone. The light shining out from our window here, right now, is just one tiny light, joining all those millions of lights in the city. It is being drowned by this sleepless city we call home. But if someone is looking hard enough, if they focus on just finding  _ our _ light, they can do that. Somehow, in a country full of millions of people, on a planet with billions of others, one day, I found you. We’re both small. We’re drowned by crowds of other people. But we can focus on each other.” I let go of the curtain and it rippled back into place. “And it makes me feel just a little bigger.”

I felt Dongmyeong tug on my hand and turned to face him. He locked me in those pretty doe eyes again and I felt warmth spread through me. He leaned in and gently laid his lips on mine. “I understand,” he whispered. “I’m going to bed now. Remember to turn the lights off.” He tiptoed towards the hallway. “Love you,” he threw over his shoulder. I followed, flicking the light switch off on my way, bathing the living room in darkness. I got to our bedroom and started climbing up into my own bunk. “Where are you going?” Dongmyeong muttered from beneath his blankets.

“Bed?” I said.

“Sleep with me.” I dropped back to the floor and crouched into Dongmyeong’s low bunk. I tucked myself under the blankets and put my arm over him. He wiggled closer and gently placed his hand on my cheek. He tickled my feet with his toes. “I missed this,” he whispered, rubbing his nose on mine. “You’re so warm. You smell so nice.”

“Are you still mad at me?” I asked.

“A little.” His thumb caressed my face, just below my eye. “Goodnight, jagiya.”

“Nae sarang,” I whispered against his perfect lips. “Dream of me.”

“I always have.” He kissed me softly. “I always will.”

I woke in the morning with one leg hanging off the bunk and Dongmyeong’s head on my chest. I kept my eyes shut, just enjoying the closeness again. The sound of someone clearing their throat made me open my eyes. Hyungu was standing near the bunk, not looking directly at us. His eyes were focused on a point somewhere above the two of us. “Looks like you guys are doing better,” he said. “You didn’t come when I knocked. Yonghoon is waiting to walk Dongmyeong-ah to his meeting.”

“Fuck, that’s today?” I groaned. “Myeong-ah.” I ran my fingers through his hair and nudged him with my shoulder. His eyes fluttered open. “You have to get ready for your meeting.”

“Oh, what time is it?” Dongmyeong asked as he shot upright. He climbed over me, nearly falling at Hyungu’s feet. “Do I have time for a shower?”

Hyungu checked his phone. “If you make it quick, yeah,” he said. Dongmyeong dashed to the bathroom.

I got up to dig through our closet. I found a nice pair of jeans and a mock turtleneck sweater and laid them on Dongmyeong’s bunk before leaving the bedroom to hunt for a meal.

By the time Dongmyeong was ready to go, I was on the sofa with Harin. We were eating omelets because he was kind enough to cook one up for me. “Thanks for the outfit,” Dongmyeong said, squeezing my shoulder on his way to the front door. He slipped his shoes on. Yonghoon joined him.

“We’ll be back soon enough,” Yonghoon said. Dongmyeong pulled the door open. “Don’t burn the place down. We can’t have our phones on in the meeting, so if you guys need anything, it’s probably best to ask Youngjo. He’s the next oldest.” The door clicked shut behind them.

“Okay, original MAS,” Harin said, breaking the silence. “What do we want to do until they come back?”

“Wait for them to come back,” I said. I was suddenly way less hungry. “You can’t distract me from worrying right now. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Harin said. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “They’ll give him permission and he will come out on his own, with support from RBW, before the whole stalker scandal breaks. Everything will be fine. We might even gain more fans having an openly gay keyboardist.” I snorted. “There we go. There’s our Giwook-ah. Do you want to play a video game?”

I’ve always thought, if I could have had a big brother, I would have wanted someone like Harin. He’s very well attuned to the people around him. He always takes care of everyone else first. He’s been a shoulder for every one of us to cry on, even Yonghoon. Always strong, always steadfast, and instantly comforting. I think Harin has a lot of love. Since we’re the people he’s with the most, we get his love and comfort whenever we need it. If he kept it from us, he might overflow. Everyone deserves a Harin in their life.

We killed four hours together while we waited for Dongmyeong and Yonghoon. I was under the table when they got back. I didn’t know where Harin was. I saw their feet when they walked in the door. “Are you the only one home?” I heard Yonghoon ask.

“No,” Hyungu sighed. “We’re playing hide and seek. I can’t find Harin, but I think Giwook is under the table. I saw his foot a couple of minutes ago. How did things go?”

“We’ll tell you after you find those dorks.”

Hyungu dropped to his hands and knees and looked at me sideways. “I  _ knew  _ you were under there!” he laughed. “Come out. Help me find Harin so we can all talk.”

“That was a long meeting,” I commented.

“It was,” Dongmyeong agreed. He yawned. “We broke for lunch for an hour and reconvened. You’d have thought it was a simple request. But no. When you’ve got human resources and public relations and even fucking lawyers involved, it takes  _ hours  _ upon hours. I’m worn out.”

Yonghoon held Harin by the shoulders, pushing him down the hallway towards us. “Found him in the closet,” he said. “You guys should play hide and seek someplace bigger, like a park. There are better hiding places. Now,” he plopped down on the sofa, legs wide, elbows on his knees, “ready to hear about the meeting?”

Everyone gathered around. “It was nothing special,” Dongmyeong began. “I mean, everyone had the email from security. The one with Jinseo’s and my selca. So they were all aware of my sexuality. All I had to do was ask for permission to breach the contract and come out publicly. That’s the part that took hours.”

“There are lawyers for the company currently revising Dongmyeong-ah and Giwook-ah’s contracts,” Yonghoon explained. “Once they’re done, maknae line has to re-sign. Shouldn’t take long. All they’re doing is a quick change to one little rule.”

“Why mine?” I asked.

“You’re coming out with me,” Dongmyeong said. He put his head on my shoulder. “Just like you wanted. We do this together. I mean, if you still want to.”

“Fucking right, I want to!” I whooped. “I want to stand on the roof and scream it at the top of my lungs!”

“Will you settle for a few posts on social networks and our fancafe?” Dongmyeong laughed.

“I fucking guess so!”

Dongmyeong stared at me like I had sprouted another head. “Yeah, I’m dating that,” he deadpanned.


	15. Chapter 15

Dongmyeong ~*~

At least once a day, every day leading up to his birthday, Giwook asked me if I really wanted him to come out with me. I always said yes. Honestly, it started getting a little annoying, and by the morning of his birthday, I was ready to slap him with a pancake. So I did.

“Ah, hey, that was hot!” he whined, pressing his hand to his cheek.

“I’m sorry,” I laughed, “but for the millionth time, yes, I want you to come out with me as my boyfriend.”

“Is it really safe for us to do that if you’ve got a stalker on the loose?” Giwook pondered.

“Yah!” I groaned. “I’ll hit you with another pancake!” The truth is, I was beginning to wonder the same thing, but I didn’t want to scare him with my own uncertainties. Besides, I was sure Jinseo already knew plenty. He knew where to find us after our music show appearance. He knew we were signed under RBW. Maybe he even knew where our apartment building was. If he did, he wasn’t coming too close.

We did our mukbang at the company, in the same practice room where we did most of our live broadcasts. Giwook, as the man of the hour, was forced into the chair in the middle. I sat to his left with Hyungu on my left. Yonghoon sat on Giwook’s right side, with Harin to his right. Our table was laden with pizzas and fried chicken, some of it quite spicy. The stream started and we all waved to the fans. “We’re here for a surprise mukbang because it’s somebody’s birthday!” Yonghoon singsonged. “It’s our baby maknae, Giwookie!” He wrapped his arms around Giwook’s shoulders and squeezed as Giwook grinned, failing miserably at pretending to be annoyed. We sang the birthday song for Giwook. We talked about various things during the broadcast, all the while stuffing ourselves with junk food. 

“We’re starting the recording process for another mini-album next week,” Giwook announced. “Since I’m the birthday boy, I get to tell you all about that. We don’t know when it will be released, but please wait for us.”

Hyungu told the story of playing hide and seek with Harin and Giwook while Yonghoon and I were away at my meeting, without mentioning a meeting with the higher-ups. He said Yonghoon and I had gone out for lunch together, which wasn’t entirely inaccurate. The comments were full of birthday wishes in several languages, questions about the comeback that we weren’t allowed to answer, and people pointing out cute and silly little habits we all had. Near the end of the broadcast, Giwook got a jiggly cheesecake from the cafe and could hardly wait to dig into it. As he cut and distributed slices of cake to each of us, serving himself last, we thanked everyone for watching. “Oh, yeah!” Giwook said, his gaze snapping to the camera instantly. “Thank you all for celebrating my birthday with us! I wish I could share my cake with you!” He held out his plate towards the camera and almost lost his grip on it when his slice of cake tipped over on its own. I instinctively put my hand on his arm, trying to help him hold steady so he wouldn’t drop cake on the floor. “Bye, everyone!” Giwook laughed.

“Bye!” we all echoed, then ended the broadcast. We devoured the cheesecake faster than I’d like to admit. After a mukbang like that, I mentally planned out an extra hour at the gym.

During the walk back to the apartment, I swore I could feel someone staring. Ducking my head slightly to hide behind Harin’s tall frame, I shot a glance around the street. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. If someone was watching from inside a shop or cafe, I couldn’t tell through the reflections on all the windows. “Can we take a different turn?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Yonghoon said. “Everything okay, Myeong-ah?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled. I shut my eyes and shook my head slightly, trying to clear my mind. It didn’t work. “I just have a weird feeling. I don’t like it. You know how, sometimes if someone is watching you, you can feel them looking?”

“You think we’re being watched?” Yonghoon asked. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I have security on speed dial. Do you want to duck into a cafe or something until we can get someone to escort us the rest of the way?”

“I don’t think it’s that serious, hyung,” I said. “Just… let’s take the back route home. Just in case. I don’t want to lead Jinseo to our home.”

We turned a block later than normal and circled through some backstreets, taking a maze-like path to the apartment. Once we were off the main stretch, the weight lifted off my chest. I felt a lot safer. There was no way we were being watched, or worse, followed. 

“Should we still go to the noraebang?” Giwook asked, lacing his fingers between mine as we turned down another narrow back road.

“Yes!” I insisted. “Jagiya, I’m not going to ruin your birthday. Especially not after you made mine so…” I bit my lip, “... special.” He squeezed my hand and I looked at his face. He’d turned an adorably peachy shade of red. 

“Gross,” Hyungu teased. “I don’t want to know what you guys do in bed.”

“You’re the one coming home with hickies from that cute little blonde of yours,” I said. “Can we just agree that we don’t want to know about each other’s sex lives unless it’s vitally important?”

“I’m good with that,” Yonghoon laughed.

We took the seldom-used rear entrance into the apartment building and rode the elevator up to our floor. As soon as the doors opened, Giwook made a beeline for ONEUS’ door. Since it was his birthday party, it was his job to invite them to the noraebang.

Once the rest of us were in our apartment, Yonghoon whipped out his phone and dialed up the security department. “Yes, hello,” he said. “This is Jin Yonghoon, leader of ONEWE. We’re going out to celebrate our maknae’s birthday tonight. Is there someone who can accompany us?” He paused, listening to the other end of the line. “A noraebang… Yes, nearby. We’re not planning on being out later than midnight.” He paused again, longer this time, apparently on hold. He caught my eye and winked at me. “Security,” he mouthed, then returned to the phone conversation. “Yes, that’s right. We had to take an alternate route home from the company today because he thought his ex was watching us… Oh, just a moment.” Yonghoon covered the mic on his phone. “Dongmyeong-ah, what’s Jinseo’s family name?”

“Baek,” I replied. “Baek Jinseo.”

“Thanks.” He uncovered the mic. “Baek Jinseo… Oh, wow. Thank you very much. We’re leaving at seven tonight.” He grinned and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Wonderful. Thank you again… We will hope so, yes.” Yonghoon hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Good news! We have a security guard coming with us tonight. He’s being briefed on the situation right now, as a matter of fact. He knows Jinseo’s full name now, in case anything has to be reported to higher authorities.”

“That’s actually amazing,” I said. “I wasn’t sure I was worth it.”

“You’re worth it,” Yonghoon said sternly. “If the company wasn’t sending someone to help keep you safe, I would personally kick the shit out of Jinseo.”

“Everyone’s coming,” Giwook announced as he stepped through the door. “How long do we have until we go out tonight?”

“Four hours and seventeen minutes,” I said, glancing at my phone and counting fast in my head. He put his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

“We have time for a nap,” he mumbled.

“We do have time for a nap,” I said, burying my fingers in his soft hair. “Is that what you want, jagiya?” I felt him nod against my shoulder. “Okay. But I want at least an hour to get ready to go out tonight.”

“An hour?” Giwook asked. “Why are you going to take so long? We’re just going out for my birthday.”

“Yeah, well, I have to look good for you.” I kissed the top of his head. “Come on, let’s go nap. I’ll cuddle you.”

We lay down in my bunk together, a tangle of limbs. I tugged on a lock of Giwook’s hair and he opened his eyes to look at me. “I’m glad you don’t hate me,” he whispered.

“I could never even dream of it,” I replied. I smoothed my hand down his back. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake you at six so we can get ready.”

Six o’clock came and the timer on my phone went insane to wake us up. Giwook yawned against my chest, then rolled out of my bunk and onto the floor. “Oof,” he said when he landed.

“You’re adorable,” I giggled. “I’m going to fix my hair. Be right back.”

I ran into the bathroom, dampened my hands, and drew my fingers through my hair gently, straightening it out and laying it down flat. I shook my head to put a little volume back in and studied my reflection. Aside from the red mark on my face from how I was sleeping on Giwook’s bare arm, I looked good enough. I washed quickly with a mild cleanser, added some serum for a dewy glow, and went back to the bedroom. Giwook was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, slowly working his hands through his hair. “Bathroom’s free,” I said, smirking at him. He scrambled to his feet and walked past me, dragging his finger along my chin as he made for the bathroom. It was at that moment that I decided Hot Dongmyeong needed to make an appearance that night. I wiggled into the skinniest skinny jeans I owned, a faded old Rolling Stones t-shirt that was probably Yonghoon’s, and a tight dark red leather jacket. My eyeliner was jet black and sharp as a knife, and I wore a darker lip tint than I normally would for a night out with friends. Top it all off with a black ribbon choker, and Hot Dongmyeong was ready for business.

Giwook came back to the room to change clothes and stopped in his tracks when he saw me. “M-Myeong-ah,” he spluttered. “You… I-I mean ehh… I don’t… How does Korean work?”

“So you like it?” I asked, trying to sound sultry. I winked and pressed the back of my hand against my brick brown lip tint. “Kiss proof, jagiya.” I turned my hand around to show him.

“N-nice,” he said, still frozen in place. “I… I  _ really  _ like your whole,” he waved his hands, gesturing at my body, “thing you’ve got going on tonight.” He swallowed and I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “It’s really… you’re… I have a really hot boyfriend. God, how do I make myself look like I deserve all  _ that _ ?”

“You’re into bad boys now?” I asked, voice low. I approached and Giwook took a deep breath. His eyes were fixed on my mouth. 

“Maybe, a little bit,” he breathed.

“Wanna test my so-called kiss-proof lip tint?” Still hypnotized, Giwook nodded. He could finally lift his arms, and he used his newfound strength to place his hands on my hips, fingertips digging into my flesh. I leaned in, Giwook closed his eyes, and I pecked him softly on the lips. He opened his eyes and whined. I was laughing until I realized he wasn’t going to let me get away. His grip tightened and a low growl rumbled in his throat. “Whoa, jagiya,” I gasped. My whole confident bad-boy act unraveled as Giwook cupped my ass and devoured my lips. Panting, we broke apart. "Let's pick this up when we get home," I whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you guys like Hot Dongmyeong as much as I do?
> 
> Also, did everyone see the comeback announcement and concept photos? I've been internally screaming all day. 3/4 comes out 3 days after my birthday!


	16. Chapter 16

^o^-> CyA

The noraebang, a sort of nightclub with private karaoke rooms, was only a few blocks away from the company campus. Our security guard’s name was Seungjin, and he walked behind us all the way, taking up most of the width of the sidewalk. The guy was  _ huge _ and pretty scary. 

The first thing we did when we got to the noraebang was to ask for the biggest private room they had available. There were, after all, twelve of us if you were counting Seungjin, and I’m pretty sure he counted for two people all by himself. Once we were assigned a room, we ordered food and drinks to be delivered, and then took off down the hall to have our party. We went inside the karaoke room. Seungjin stayed just outside the door, guarding it. I felt kind of bad for him. I really wanted to invite him in to sing a song or two, but Yonghoon told me I wasn’t allowed to do that. Seungjin had a job to do.

The room we entered was dark, lit with weird party lights, blacklights, and a disco ball. On one end was a very short stage with a screen, which was wired to the karaoke machine itself. On the other end was a vinyl sofa with a long table in front of it. There were two tablets on the table. It was a freshly remodeled, updated noraebang, and those tablets were connected wirelessly to the karaoke machine to enable us to look through the whole catalog of songs and choose which ones we wanted. Older noraebangs still used books with their songs printed on paper. You’d choose your song and punch in its ID number on the machine. Here, you tapped the screen and you were good to go.

“Seungjin-ssi is like, as big as four of me,” Hwanwoong marveled as he flopped onto the sofa and grabbed one of the tablets. “What do they feed that guy?”

“To be fair, you’re teensy,” Youngjo teased, ruffling up his dongsaeng’s hair. 

“This is a really nice room,” I said. It still smelled a bit of fresh paint and new upholstery. “How much is this costing the company?”

“Uh, don’t worry about it?” Yonghoon said. He threw his arm around my shoulders. “Just have fun, birthday boy.”

Dongmyeong stood nearby, scanning the whole room. The little bits of glitter below his eyes shimmered as the party lights swept their beams across the walls and floor. “It’s really modern,” he said. “This is where cool people go for karaoke.”

Soon enough, we had a queue of eleven songs all set up with the machine. The thing we didn’t have set was the order we were singing in. “Giwook-ah should go first,” Seoho said, sliding my name to the top of the list. “It’s his birthday.”

“I don’t want to go first,” I argued. I moved myself to a lower slot. “You go first.”

“My song is a bad one to start on,” Seoho said. “Geonhak?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Dongmyeong blurted. He reached over, grabbed his own name, and placed it at the top of the queue. “I’ll go first.”

The door opened and in walked a man with a trolly. “From the kitchen,” he said, placing platters of steaming hot, deep-fried deliciousness on the table. Those plates were accompanied by tall glasses of ice water and a couple of pitchers, also filled to the brim with water. “You can use those tablets to place more food and drink orders throughout the night. Enjoy, guys.”

“Ah, the noraebang’s fatal flaw,” Dongmyeong sighed, picking up a plump popcorn shrimp and plopping it on his tongue. “The bright light that gets in every time someone opens the door. This is really good shrimp though.” He spun around on his heels and strutted over to pick up a microphone. “Sing it if you know it, boys!”

I didn’t look to see what song he’d picked, but I knew it immediately when the music started and he launched into a perky version of Twice’s  _ Fancy _ .

And so the night went. After a few hours of singing, dancing, and shots of soju, we were ready to head for home. It was precisely midnight when we emerged from the room and told Seungjin we were ready to go. He didn’t say a word, just nodded once and waited for us to lead the way. For the first time ever, I was the drunkest person in the group. Everyone kept pouring liquor down my throat because it was my birthday. As a result, I didn’t walk very well. I also don’t remember anything from that night after we set foot on the sidewalk outside the noraebang. As Harin gently herded me through the building and out to the street, I craned my neck to look at Seungjin again. “Seungjin-ssi,” I slurred, “hey, did you even take a bathroom break or were you just standing there? Did you get to sit down? I wanted to invite you in but they said I couldn’t so I’m sorry.” Harin shushed me, covering my mouth with his hand and laughing. “Eyy! Ammammumph, nuhyuhb.” I insisted from behind Harin’s big hand.

“What in the world?” he laughed. He uncovered my mouth. 

“I said, it’s my mouth, not yours.” I jabbed my finger into his chest. “Oh, hey, you have pretty big muscles here. It’s because you’re a drummer, huh?”

“Is he always so talkative when he drinks?” Seungjin asked. I think it was the first time I had ever heard him speak.

“Only if he’s just completely fucked,” Dongmyeong replied. I remember opening my mouth to say something back, and that’s where the memory cuts off.

It picks back up again the next morning. I woke up feeling like boiled garbage that had been peed on by rats. My mouth was dry and sticky-feeling, my neck and shoulders ached, and I had rolling waves of nausea. “Good morning, jagiya,” I heard Dongmyeong say softly from somewhere in front of me. “I put an electrolyte tablet in this for you. Sit up and drink it.” I let my eyelids open just a crack and saw my boyfriend’s blurry form holding out a glass of cloudy water. “It’s raspberry flavored if that matters to you at all.” I pushed up on my elbow in Dongmyeong’s bunk and took the glass he offered, sipping gently so I wouldn’t disturb my insides too much. “How do you feel?”

“Shitty,” I groaned.

“Sorry to hear that. How much do you remember?” He pushed his bangs back off his forehead and smiled at me.

“Everything until we left the noraebang.”

“Well, you were conscious until I got you into bed.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, really. And you wouldn’t stop talking, even if you weren’t making any sense anymore. You ended the night by taking your pants off by yourself and crawling across the floor to my bunk, where you passed out with your lower half hanging out onto the floor. I picked you up by the legs and pushed you the rest of the way in, Giwook-ah.” He was laughing. “You passed out with your makeup still on. I cleaned it off for you with a cleansing wipe. Then I got into bed with you. I barely slept. I was keeping an eye on you all night, making sure you were okay. I’m glad you’re awake.”

“I’m glad you exist,” I mumbled. “Sorry I didn’t get to strip those party clothes off you last night.”

Dongmyeong’s face flushed and he fanned himself with his hand. “Well, hey,” he giggled, “I can always dress up for you another time.”

“You look good for someone who barely slept all night.”

“As much as I love being flattered, and I do,” Dongmyeong cleared his throat and continued in a low voice, “we had a phone call this morning. Our contract revisions are expected to be finished by the first of February. So the ones we’re currently under will expire and we will have to sign the new ones. After that, jagiya, we get to tell everybody. Start thinking about how exactly you want to do that. I thought we could do a VLive and take some cute selcas to post everywhere else.”

“Everywhere?” I was halfway through my water and the raspberry flavor was just beginning to hit me.

“Yeah. Fancafe, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.” He sighed and lowered himself to the floor, sitting with his feet tucked under. “Of course, some of the news sites will pick it up too. My hope is that number one, we’re not so well-known that it will cause problems for the band and the company. And number two, I want people to be kind. We’ll break a couple of fans’ hearts, I’m sure, but I hope they can be happy for us. I just want everyone to understand how incredibly lucky I feel.”

“I think I can do that,” I said. I opened my eyes just a little more, already starting to feel better, though I still wanted to throw up. “Anything for you. Just don’t start taking selcas until I shake this hangover. Wait, this is a hangover!”

“Yeah?” Dongmyeong said, shifting his weight onto his hip and staring at me with his big onyx eyes. “You were wasted. Of course you’re hungover.”

“I’ve never had a hangover before!” The nausea in my stomach suddenly took over my brain’s higher functions and I set the glass on the floor so I could make a mad dash for the toilet. 

Dongmyeong was sitting on his bunk when I re-entered the bedroom. He patted the spot next to himself and I sat down. He put his left arm around my shoulders and used his right hand to guide my head down onto his shoulder. “Feel better?” he asked as he stroked my hair gently. I shook my head no. “Do you ever want to drink again?”

“Never, ever,” I groaned into the crook of his neck. He laughed quietly. “Love you, Myeong-ah.” The arm around my shoulders squeezed hard.

“Love you too, Drunkypants.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The solo concept photos they released today really almost killed me. This poor old heart can't take it!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I couldn't wait! Enjoy!

Dongmyeong ~*~

After endless days of recording, being called in to sign our new contracts almost felt like a well-deserved break for Giwook and me. The legal team made quick work of the rule change, and they were ready to see us on the fifth of February. We headed for the meeting room, still dressed casually, straight from the studio. Giwook was picking at the calluses and blisters on his fingertips. “That’s pretty disgusting,” I said, watching him peel a layer of thick dead skin off his middle finger.

“I didn’t choose the bassist life,” he said, still focused on his fingers. “The bassist life chose me. The first time I held a bass guitar, I knew it was my destiny.”

“Are… are we living in an anime?” I laughed. “You sound ridiculous."

“Is that not how it felt when you started playing the piano?” He looked at me, tipping his head like a puppy.

“Well, yeah, of course,” I said. “I love the piano. I live and breathe black and white keys. But I don’t have giant calluses from playing the piano, so I’m not walking beside my boyfriend while ripping chunks of my fingers off.”

“Yeah, you pianists think you’re so special with your soft hands,” Giwook joked. “You like my calluses. Admit it.”

I rolled my eyes and tapped on the door to the boardroom we were instructed to visit. I slowly opened the door and poked my head in. There was a well-dressed man, probably no older than 35, standing on the opposite side of the long table in the middle of the room. “Come in,” he said calmly, beckoning with his hand. “I don’t know why they decided we needed an entire boardroom for this, but here we are. Son Dongmyeong and Lee Giwook?” We bowed humbly to the lawyer. “And which is which?”

“I’m Son Dongmyeong, sir,” I said. “He’s Lee Giwook.”

“Great,” the lawyer said, returning a small, polite bow of his own. “My name is Im Minhyeok. I was in charge of the changes to your contracts. Please, sit down. Let’s go over this.” He opened a leather briefcase and took out two thick stacks of paper. “This one is for you, Dongmyeong-ssi.” He placed it on the table before me. “And one for Giwook-ssi. You don’t have to trust me. If you want to take those home to look over with your bandmates or your parents, that’s perfectly okay. If you have your own lawyers you’d like to take a look, I do encourage you to show them the revisions. Very little has changed. You remember the part that said you couldn’t openly have a romantic relationship until three years after your debut?”

“Yes, sir,” Giwook said. I nodded, beginning to leaf through the stack of paper.

“It’s gone,” Im Minhyeok said. “Instead, you have a clause stating that you acknowledge the risks to your image should you choose to reveal this… homosexual pairing.” He said ‘homosexual’ like it tasted sour in his mouth. “RBW also agrees not to persecute you or your band because of the revelation. Understand?”

“Let me see if I do,” I began. “I can come out as gay?” The lawyer across from me nodded. “Okay. And we can announce our relationship.”

“That’s correct, as long as you understand that some fans and netizens may not take it well.”

“And RBW can’t treat us differently because of it,” I concluded, folding my hands on top of my contract.

“Right again, Dongmyeong-ssi.”

“Can they drop us?” Giwook asked.

“That falls under the umbrella of persecution,” Im Minhyeok said. “Their criteria remains the same there. If you fail to earn any money, they can drop you and require that you continue to repay the money they’ve invested in you until your debt is fulfilled.”

“Harin?” I asked, turning to face my boyfriend.

“Harin,” he agreed.

“We’ve got someone to run this by before we sign,” I said, returning my eyes to the lawyer’s almost robotically calm face.

“Of course,” he said. “Please take your time. Turn your contracts in with the legal team within the week.”

We left the boardroom with our contracts tucked under our arms. “Take your time, but here’s a deadline,” Giwook mocked. “We’re busy with recording.”

“I hope Harin will be willing to help,” I said. My contract suddenly felt heavier. “He’s kind of our only hope if they’re trying to fuck us over. He can smell dirty dealing from an ocean away.”

We entered the recording studio and I dropped my contract on a table. “Whoa,” Yonghoon said. “You… you didn’t sign them?”

“We need him,” I said, pointing through the window to the recording booth where Harin sat behind his drums. He perked up and pointed at himself questioningly. I nodded. 

Harin emerged from the recording booth not a minute later. “Is everything okay?” he asked. I picked up my contract and held it out to him. He took it with both hands and skimmed the first page. “Is there something wrong with your new contract?”

“We don’t know,” Giwook said, handing his over as well. “Can you check?”

“Yeah. I still have a copy of the one we all signed when we joined RBW. They gave us identical ones back then. I’ll do a comparison and make sure they didn’t sneak anything fishy in here.” Harin took a deep breath. “It will take hours.” He set the contracts down on the table. “Let me work on it at home? That’s where my old copy is.”

“Yes, please,” I said. “If there’s bullshit to be found, I know you’ll find it. I don’t trust that lawyer, but I trust you, hyung.”

When we finished work for the day, Harin slipped our contracts into his backpack. We all walked home as a group. No one wanted to cook, so we ordered takeout. It was already fairly late by most people’s standards. Nobody has dinner at ten in the evening. Once we finished eating, I was ready to turn in for the night. I was brushing my teeth with the bathroom door open when Harin walked out of the hyungs’ room, a bundle of paper under his arm. He winked and continued on his way to the living room.

I found Harin after I finished my bedtime routine, sitting on the floor, elbows on the table, studying two contracts. One was his copy of our old contract, which he insisted on having the moment he signed his name, and the other was my new one. He had set his glasses down on the table so his eyes could focus better on the tiny print. He glanced up at me. “Sleep well, Dongmyeong-ah,” he said with a bright smile. “I think I can have yours done by one in the morning. I’ll have to sleep after that, but I’ll get to work on Giwook’s when I wake up.” I stared at him for a few seconds, then poured a glass of water in the kitchen and brought it to Harin, setting it on the table.

“Hyung, you are a blessing,” I said, leaning down to hug him. He smiled and returned the hug. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“Hey, I have to look out for my little brothers, don’t I? Aren’t we all in this together?” I nodded, still holding onto him. “I’m proud of you guys. What you’re doing takes some serious balls. I think we all do crazy, amazing things for true love. Think of this as my way of showing my support.” Harin patted my back. “I support you. You guys are a beautiful couple.” I sniffled, trying to keep my tears from overflowing, wondering why I was getting so emotional. “Come here.” Harin pulled me down to the floor and I knelt there while he held steady like a rock. “It will all be fine, Myeong-ah. You guys have nine of us holding you up, and we won’t let you fall. Now, please go to bed. Go get cuddled. I’ll have an update for you tomorrow. I promise.”

I pulled away and nodded. “Don’t stay up too late, hyung,” I said, wiping a stray tear. “Drink your water.”

“Goodnight, little brother.” He turned his attention back to the contracts while I slipped away down the hall.

We had a good reason for entrusting Harin with our contracts. He was formerly employed at a brokerage firm. Out of the five of us, Harin was the most well-versed in legalese. It was Harin who insisted that we all sign identical contracts, and Harin who compared them all before we signed them to make sure they really  _ were  _ identical. He kept a photocopy of his original contract with RBW as a receipt in case they tried anything. Harin is one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. If he wasn’t a drummer, he’d probably be a banker or a lawyer. 

At noon the following day, Harin emerged from the hyungs’ bedroom and cracked open Giwook’s new contract, comparing it side-by-side with mine. “Dongmyeong-ah, your contract is fine,” he said, not lifting his eyes from the pages he was scrutinizing. “There’s nothing fishy about it. You can sign it whenever you’re ready.”

“Why are you in my band?” Giwook asked, marveling at our brilliant hyung. “I mean, please stay in my band. I don’t know where else we would find a drummer like you. But holy shit, you should be a lawyer.”

“I thought about it,” Harin muttered as he turned the page. “I like you guys more than law.”

After we both had Harin’s confirmation that things were water-tight and unsuspicious, we signed our new contracts and dropped them off with the legal team on our way to the studio the next day. All that was left to do was wait for the green light. Once we had that, Giwook and I could go public.


	18. Chapter 18

^o^-> CyA

My hands shook as I opened VLive on my phone. I would monitor comments so Dongmyeong and I could reply to people during our broadcast. He’d be able to see them too. We were streaming from his phone. But I thought I’d be more able to focus on them, being the one without the selfie stick in my hand. Dongmyeong put his free hand over mine. “Hey,” he whispered, “it’ll be okay. We’re in this together.”

We were sitting on the floor of the same practice space from my birthday mukbang, leaning against the wall. We had a package of Oreos I was nervously munching on. If we were any closer together, one of us would have to be in the other’s lap. “Are you starting the stream soon?” I asked. “I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve.”

“Yeah, I just want to adjust this so the camera sees us better.” He started fumbling with the selfie stick. “Nibble on another cookie. That was cute the last time you did it.” I laughed and put my hand on his knee. “Okay, we’re ready to start.  _ I’m _ ready to start. Are you ready, Giwook-ah?”

I took a deep breath. “Yes!” I squeaked, then quickly stuffed an Oreo in my mouth just as we went live.

“Hi!” Dongmyeong sang. “Surprise, everybody! It’s me, your pretty Dongmyeongie! And look, I have your handsome Giwookie too!” I tried to smile through a mouthful of cookies. “Maybe he’s your hungry Giwookie today.” He nudged me with his elbow. “Say hi, pabo.” I waved. “We’re not here to eat Oreos in front of you.”

“I’m here to eat Oreos,” I mumbled, biting into another cookie.

“We’re  _ not  _ here to eat Oreos,” Dongmyeong repeated. “This isn’t a cookie mukbang. This is actually serious business.” Our comments blew up with fans panicking over Dongmyeong’s use of the phrase ‘serious business’ and we started trying to calm them. “No, no, no, not bad serious! Good serious! We have really good news.”

“ _ We _ think it’s good news,” I threw in. 

“It  _ is  _ good news,” Dongmyeong insisted. “This is literally the second best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He cleared his throat. “How do we do this?”

“I don’t know! Streaming it was your idea.” I twisted an Oreo open and started eating the filling.

“Well, you went along with it!”

“Start small,” I said. “Start with the rainbow, Myeong-ah.”

“That’s a good way to begin,” he agreed, turning back to face his phone. “I feel like a big liar, everyone. I’ve been keeping a secret from you, and I’m sorry. Please forgive me and accept me as I am when I tell you the truth. And I want you to know it’s okay to ask questions. I want to talk to you. Here it goes.” Dongmyeong took a deep breath. “I’m gay.” He pursed his lips and switched languages. “Now in English! I’m gay, everyone!”

“Way to consider the international fans,” I giggled. Comments were popping up on my phone faster than I could read them. Most were positive. A few hundred people dropped out of the stream.  _ That’s fine. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to listen.  _ “Hey, one of these comments is asking how long you’ve known that. I think that would be a good question to answer.”

“Uh, I think I’ve always kind of known?” Dongmyeong began, uncertain. “I knew I was different, I guess? I didn't… realize what was different about me until puberty. And then my brother and all of our friends who were boys started ogling the girls and I just… didn’t. I still didn’t know why until… well… something happened.”

I wrapped my arm around my boyfriend and pulled him close. There was another surge of comments, most of them asking if we were dating or if I was the something that happened to Dongmyeong.

“After that,” Dongmyeong continued, “I knew what I was. I told Dongju first. He was the first person to hug me and tell me he loved me anyway. Since we’re brothers, I knew it nearly killed him to say he loved me,” he joked, chuckling a little. “He told me I should tell our parents, but I was afraid to do that for about the first year after I came out to him. There was no telling what they were going to think. But when I finally sat them down to talk about it, my parents were very receptive and supportive. I know how lucky I am to have had a strong support system right from the beginning.” He squinted at his phone as the comments scrolled. “Ah, some of you haven’t had such a nice reaction from your parents. I’m so sorry to see that. I support you. We’re all in this together, okay?” He read a few more and a cute smile crept slowly across his features. “I’ll gladly share my parents with you. They would love to adopt a few thousand more kids.” He glanced at me and took one of my Oreos. “I think it’s Giwook-ah’s turn to talk to you, don’t you?”

“We’re taking turns?” I asked. He nodded, smiling his perfect sunshine smile at me before popping the cookie in his mouth. “Okay. I have news for everyone too. Um… let me think.” My heart was pounding. “I don’t identify under a label, like Dongmyeong-ah. Not that labels are a bad thing. I think they look really good on some people. But I’m not going to tell you I’m gay, because I’m not. I’m open to whatever weird, wonderful magic life throws my way. Romantic love can come from just about anywhere. And…” I hesitated. “And I’m lucky to call this little piece of wonderful magic right here,  _ my  _ little piece of magic.” I affectionately squeezed Dongmyeong’s shoulders and he blushed.

“That was a really weird way to tell everyone we’re dating,” he said. 

“In my defense, I’m a really weird person,” I said. “I’m sorry if you wanted to be the one to say it.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Dongmyeong laughed. “It’s true, everybody! I see some of you asking if we’re pranking you. No, I… I really found the love of my life when we were kids.” My heart skipped.  _ Love of his life? _ “Giwook really is the thing that happened to me as a young teenager. I realized I was gay when I fell in love, and I haven’t been able to shake these feelings for him in the years since. So I told him last fall.”

“And I kissed him,” I added.

“And he kissed me,” Dongmyeong confirmed, blushing. He skimmed the comments again. “We’re breaking your heart? I’m so sorry. My brother needs a girlfriend though. Somebody should be keeping him out of trouble. I encourage you to flirt with him.”

“‘Do CyA’s parents know?’” I read aloud. “Yes, my parents know. They’re less excited about this than Dongmyeong’s parents. But they’re coming around.”

“‘Ship name?’” Dongmyeong read. “Well, Yonghoon-hyung calls us MyeongWook, so you guys could go with that! Or make up your own if you want to.”

“‘You disgust me,’” I read. “Thank you! Myeong-ah, we should kiss. It would be repulsive. Let’s do it.” I leaned in. “Give me kisses, nae sarang.”

“I don’t know if we can do that on VLive,” he giggled. “We’ll be posting another announcement on social media later. Thank you for your messages of support.”

“Our fandom is such a supportive family,” I said. “Thank you for all of the love you show us and each other.”

“Oh, here’s a good question!” Dongmyeong said. “They want to know what our bandmates think. And someone asked about ONEUS.”

“We have all the support in the world from all those guys,” I said. “Our members were totally unfazed when we started dating. In fact, Yonghoon-hyung was the most excited I’ve ever seen him.”

“Yeah, they’ve really been a big help,” Dongmyeong said. “And ONEUS are the same way. I’m sure it’s genuine support and not just because they’re all afraid of Dongju.” He giggled. “He still bites.”

We fielded a few more questions and managed to finish off the whole package of Oreos before we ended our livestream. It went well. We began our walk home holding hands, feeling thankful that, for the most part, ONEWE fans were genuinely kind people. Dongmyeong’s phone chimed and he pulled it out to read the Kakao message from his brother. I read it over his shoulder.

_ I watched your stream. You didn’t have to tell everyone I’m a biter. _

As if the whole world didn’t already know.

We paused outside the cafe and took a couple of selcas to post on Fancafe later. My favorite one had us standing together, my arms around his waist, my lips against his cheek, and him grinning wider than the sea.

We stopped for ice cream crepes along the way. Dongmyeong paid this time. About a block away from the apartment building, we were stopped by a tall, fit man with wavy hair and sharp, narrow eyes. “Son Dongmyeong!” he exclaimed with a wave as he approached from a sidestreet. 

Dongmyeong went rigid, staring him down. “Baek Jinseo,” he growled.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry! That cliffhanger was so mean! Y'all know I'm too soft to do that to you for very long.

Dongmyeong ~*~

His name tasted like bile in my throat. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I was out in public with my truest love, and  _ he  _ had to show up and ruin everything. 

“I knew I’d find you around here,” Jinseo said, flashing a bright smile. “How have you been?” I glared at him in silence. I felt Giwook’s arm wrap tightly around my shoulders. He stuffed the last of his crepe in his mouth and took out his phone. “Oh, come on. You look like you’re not happy to see me!”

“Hey, Yonghoon!” Giwook said into his phone. “We’re almost there, but we’ve found ourselves caught up chatting with someone. Can you just meet us out at the corner?”

“New boyfriend?” Jinseo asked. “He looks like a baby.” Jinseo drew closer. I could feel Giwook’s fear radiating from him. I wanted to tell him not to be afraid. Bullies like Jinseo can smell fear. “Did Dongmyeong-ah tell you about me? His first love.” I scoffed. Jinseo ignored me. “His first time. And we never officially broke up. I think this counts as you cheating on me, sweetheart.” He reached for my face as if to caress my cheek. I pulled back as far as I could without stepping into the street. 

“H-he told me,” Giwook said as he slipped his phone back in his pocket. “He told me everything.”  _ Oh God, Giwook-ah, please don’t get yourself hurt.  _ “I know  _ all _ about you. I know you called him names and made him feel like shit. I know you hit him.” Giwook let go of my shoulders and took a step forward. “I know you forced yourself on him, you filthy rapist.”  _ Oh no. _ Jinseo moved so fast, I didn’t know what had happened until I saw Giwook stumble backward with his hands over his face. “You fucking cheater!” he screamed, straightening his back and staring Jinseo in the eyes again. “You cheated on Dongmyeong and now you sucker punched me?” His nose was bleeding, dripping onto the pavement. “What, you can’t win without cheating, cheater?”  _ Giwook, you’re making a scene. _ “You know what? You remind me of dog shit. You’re ugly, offensive, and you shouldn’t be seen in public!” He snorted and spat blood on Jinseo’s shoes. Jinseo reared back and threw another punch, connecting just below Giwook’s left eye.

“Baek Jinseo!” I looked up in the direction of the voice. Three security guards were running towards us from RBW. Jinseo caught sight of them and made himself scarce. Giwook crumpled to the ground, breathing heavily. I knelt down next to him, taking hold of his shoulders. “Where is he?” one of the guards growled when he reached us. I recognized him from Giwook’s birthday party. Oh, but what was his name again?

“I don’t know,” I sobbed. “He ran. Do you have any tissues?” I touched Giwook’s face gently, ignoring the blood that was dripping onto my hand. “Giwook-ah, you crazy fuck.”

“My face hurts,” he whimpered. “Make it stop.” He gasped and coughed. “Make it stop!”

“Keep leaning forward,” the guard advised. “We don’t want you choking.”

Giwook looked at him, his left eye already almost swollen shut. “Seungjin-ssi?” he spluttered. He groaned. “You missed the bad guy. He went that way.” Giwook pointed down the sidestreet. A few seconds later, we heard sirens approaching. 

I told the police my account of what happened while an EMT tended to Giwook’s face. I even told them the last place I knew Jinseo was living in. People clustered together in small groups along the street, pointing at us and whispering to each other, trying to piece together what was going on. Dongju stood on the other side of the street, near the apartment building. He stared at me with eyes the size of dinner plates. Once the cops set me free, he started moving in my direction, taking long, determined strides. “Where is he?” my brother growled. “I’ll fucking kill him with my bare hands.”

“He got away, Ju-yah,” I said softly. 

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Giwook-ah…” I trailed off and started crying. Dongju looked over to where Giwook sat with a cold compress against his face and gasped. “Nothing is the way it’s supposed to be today. This was a great day until that bastard showed up.” Dongju hugged me tighter than I think he ever had before. He didn’t say anything else. There was nothing to be said.

We approached Giwook carefully. He looked at me through one good eye and tried to smile. “Ouch,” he groaned. “Smiling hurts. He didn’t get you too, did he?” He sounded congested, probably from the blood clotting in his nose.

“No, I’m okay,” I said. “You look rough, jagiya.”

“Yeah,” Giwook agreed. “My nose isn’t broken. That’s the good news. The bad news is I don’t know how to get blood out of a white hoodie. Probably can’t wear this ever again.”

“You’re a fool, Lee Giwook,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I told you he was dangerous.”

“So is riding in a car, but we do it.” He pulled the compress off his face and I noticed a purplish bruise already forming below his eye. “He may be dangerous, but I’d sleep on a whole bed of swords to give you a safe place to rest.” 

Dongju walked us home. The first voice we heard on our floor was Keonhee’s. “Jesus,” he breathed, covering his mouth. They were all standing in the hallway between the apartments, all of our hyungs from both groups, and they were staring at us with a mixture of anger and worry. “Giwook-ah, that looks so painful.”

“It hurts less since they gave me ibuprofen, but yes,” Giwook said, “it’s very painful.”

“If we find him before the cops do, I’m killing him,” Dongju informed everyone.

“We are  _ not  _ looking for him, Dongju-yah,” Hwanwoong sternly admonished my brother. “We do not look for trouble. Trouble found MyeongWook, and look what happened.” He paused and bit his lip. “No offense.”

“What  _ are  _ we doing then?” Dongju asked.

“Letting the professionals handle this,” Hwanwoong said. Dongju joined his members as they retreated back into their own apartment. “I’m glad things didn’t go any worse for you guys,” Hwanwoong sighed, the worry on his face making him look older than he was. “For what it’s worth, congratulations on coming out. We’re proud of you guys. We watched the whole stream. But I guess it’s one step forward, two steps back, right?” I nodded. “Stay inside. Get some rest. Heal up.” He disappeared into the apartment and the door clicked shut behind him. I felt bad for making all of them worry so much. They were three days from dropping their comeback, and the stress showed.

We all went inside our apartment too. I sighed, wondering if everyone felt as heavy as I did. I went straight for the bathroom to wash Giwook’s blood off my hands. He followed me and studied himself in the mirror. “They didn’t do too badly,” he said. “Cleaning me up, I mean. I bet I looked a lot worse before the medics got to me.”

“Never do that again, please,” I whispered. “Change your clothes. You’re covered in blood.”

“Are you okay?” he asked. “I mean, I know you’re physically okay. But are  _ you  _ okay? Like,  _ this  _ you?” He pointed at my head.

“As okay as I can be after watching my boyfriend get his ass kicked.”

“I did not get my ass kicked,” Giwook argued. “He didn’t go anywhere near my ass. Unless you think my face looks like an ass.” I couldn’t stifle my giggle at that. “See? There’s my boyfriend. My perfect, happy boyfriend. I would do anything for you. Never forget that.” 

“Would it hurt if I kissed you?” I whispered, turning to face him.

“Mmm, probably,” he replied. “Only one way to find out.” I gave him the gentlest kiss I could. “Didn’t hurt,” he said as we pulled apart. “I’m going to change my clothes. We can watch a drama when I’m done.”

What I had expected to be just Giwook and me cuddling on the sofa to binge a few episodes of one of my favorite dramas turned into a whole band thing. First, Harin brought a pillow into the living room and stretched out on the floor in front of the TV. Then, Hyungu sat next to me, one hand on my knee. Yonghoon dropped to the floor and used Harin as a pillow.

And I held Giwook as tightly as I could.


	20. Chapter 20

^o^-> CyA

I may have had a fucked up face, but since I don’t play bass with my face, I still had work to do. A couple of days after my beatdown, I rose bright and early to go to the studio with everyone. I popped an ibuprofen and gently prodded my still swollen face, studying it in the bathroom mirror. My nose constantly felt like someone was pressing their palm against it, trying to push it into my face. The bruise below my eye was still dark purple and blue, but the swelling had gone down over the previous day. Dongmyeong wandered into the bathroom, shut the door, and started undressing for a shower. “Why does the bully always have to go for the face?” I complained. “I was cute.”

“You  _ are _ cute.” His arm circled around my waist from behind and he planted a kiss on my shoulder. “Wanna shower with me?”

“I do,” I said, turning around to put my arms around his shoulders and give a little squeeze. We kissed briefly. “I think that might make us late though.”

“Fair enough.” He pulled away and turned on the shower. “Wanna fool around with me if we’re not too tired after work?”

“It’s a date,” I laughed.

One of the consequences of having my ass kicked was that we weren’t allowed to walk the short distance between home and the company anymore. We had to take a van driven by a manager. And we always,  _ always _ , without exception, had to be in pairs or a group whenever we went out. They preferred for us to order takeout when we didn’t feel like cooking, but you can only keep a bunch of boys cooped up inside for so long.

Honestly, the worst thing wasn’t my sore face. It wasn’t all the new restrictions placed on us by the legal department. It was the fact that all of the news about our coming out was overshadowed by headlines screaming, “ONEWE’s CyA injured in street fight” and “RBW needs to reign-in out-of-control bassist”. Excuse me, I don’t believe I was the one doing all the hitting. On the bright side, Baek Jinseo now had a warrant out for his arrest. He was wanted for assault, and his name also made it into all the news stories about me. He had to know what he had coming. I was a little afraid it might make him harder to catch. Like, if he saw that they were on the hunt for him, would he pack up and move? I also wanted to ensure that he would be charged for not just assaulting me. I wanted justice for my boyfriend. I wanted all of Korea to know that Baek Jinseo was a filthy rapist.

“Your eye looks better today,” Hyungu said, glancing up from his phone. “I told Amanda what happened to you. She said she’ll bring over some real, American-style macaroni and cheese. It’s her favorite comfort food, so she thinks it will comfort you. Her Korean is… intermediate at best and unintelligible at worst. She’s getting better, but it’s a long process. So we will have to speak a mix of Korean and English when she comes over tonight.”

“Wait, we’re finally going to  _ meet _ Amanda?” I asked. Hyungu nodded. “That’s fantastic. I mean, I wish I could meet her without a giant bruise on my face, but it is what it is.”

“Why? Are you trying to steal my girlfriend?” Hyungu teased.

“Absolutely not,” I insisted. “Who needs girls when I have Dongmyeong-ah?”

We spent most of the day in the studio. It was a behind-the-scenes day, and I tried to stay off-camera as much as possible, but I’m sure they caught me at least a couple of times. Lunch was healthy lunchboxes from the cafe. We went home earlier than usual that night to accommodate Hyungu’s girlfriend. As Yonghoon’s mother always tells us, never turn down a meal.

Amanda was shorter than Hyungu, with straight honey brown hair cut off at her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes fell on my face and she pouted. “I hope you’re feeling better,” she said in Korean with a  _ very _ heavy American accent. She held up the casserole dish in her hands. “I used my mom’s recipe,” she announced. “It’s really… delicious and… filling.” She handed it to Hyungu, who placed it gently on the table in the living room. “I didn’t think you were serious when you said you didn’t have a normal dining table,” she said to Hyungu in English.

“It’s normal,” he replied. “We do not have much space, so we live small.”

“My name is Amanda,” she said to all of us in Korean, giving a little wave. “Does Hyungu tell you about me?”

“A bit,” Dongmyeong replied, speaking slowly for her. “You don’t use suffixes?”

“I don’t speak Korean very comfortably, so I’m never certain which suffix is appropriate for someone.”

“That’s okay!” Dongmyeong said in English, flashing her his patented dimply grin. “I don’t speak English comfortably!”

“Hyungu,” Amanda cooed, taking hold of Hyungu’s arm. “Your friends are cute.”

Amanda joined us at the table and lifted the lid on her dish. It smelled amazing. She had used big, fat macaroni noodles and smothered them in a homemade sauce of three different cheeses and cream. She sprinkled it with shredded cheddar and garlic breadcrumbs, then baked it in an oven. “This is almost as good as sex,” I said through a mouthful of pasta. Dongmyeong gasped. Harin howled with laughter. Amanda looked confused.

“What did you say?” she asked. “I don’t think I understood you.”

“He did not say anything important, babe,” Hyungu laughed. “Only he said your cooking is good. But do not use that in polite company, please.”

“Um, okay? Thanks, Giwook?”

“You’re welcome, Amanda-noona.” I smiled at her. “See? I am calling you sister now. You can call me ‘Giwook-ah,’ because I am like a little brother.”

“You should call me ‘Yonghoon-oppa,’” Yonghoon added. “I’m older than you.”

“Hyung,  _ I’m  _ her boyfriend,” Hyungu pointed out.

“Yeah,” Yonghoon said. “Girls call their male friends ‘oppa’ just as much as their boyfriends. Calm down.”

“The point is, if we’re younger, add ‘-ah,’” Dongmyeong said. “Except Hyungu-hyung. He gets ‘-yah’ because his name ends in a vowel. Does that make sense?”

“It does!” Amanda said, her eyes lighting up. “Thank you for the Korean lesson!”

“Can we have an English lesson?” I asked.

“Do you guys know… I don’t know the Korean word for it… onomatopoeia?” she asked. We confirmed that we knew what onomatopoeia was. “It’s different in English than it is in Korean. Korean bees go ‘wing wing,’ right?”

“Right,” I said. “What do English bees say?”

“Buzz!” she giggled. “And Korean dogs say ‘meong meong’ but English dogs say ‘woof woof!’”

“I knew about dogs,” Dongmyeong said, still speaking slowly for Amanda’s sake. “The English bee sound is a new fact for me. I think they sound cute in both languages.”

After dinner, Amanda invited us all out for drinks. “I’d rather not,” I said. “I’ve been taking a lot of ibuprofen. You’re not supposed to drink a lot on that stuff. And I don’t look good enough to go places. I’d rather stay in. Thank you for inviting me.”

“I’ll stay with Giwook-ah,” Dongmyeong said. “I’m still a little jumpy about going out with Jinseo on the loose.”

“Aww,” Amanda sighed. “I was hoping you guys could teach me Korean drinking games.”

“Maknae line can stay home,” Yonghoon said as Hyungu threw his arm over her shoulders and led her to the door. “Play with the bigger boys, okay?”

“Okay, oppa,” she giggled. Amanda and the hyungs started on their way out of the apartment.

“Get a taxi ride home, please,” Dongmyeong called after them. “Be safe!”

I reclined back on the floor as the door shut behind them. “I should shower,” I sighed. “I skipped out on it this morning for an extra half hour of sleep.”

“Go ahead,” Dongmyeong said, shrugging. “We could turn in early tonight if you want.”

“I’m not that tired,” I winked.

I was brushing my teeth before my shower when Dongmyeong stepped into the bathroom and started making goofy faces behind me. I could see him in the mirror. He was totally trying to make me laugh toothpaste through my nose. I spit my toothpaste in the sink and spun around to face him. “Why are you being a dork?” I demanded. He leaned up and nuzzled my nose gently with his.

“Love you,” he whispered. Dongmyeong's fingers danced along the skin on my back as he pushed my shirt up. "Do you still want to fool around tonight?" I nodded. "Mmm, good. There's something I've always wanted to do with you." He tucked his fingers under the waistband of my pants. "I mean, you just looked so yummy last time."

\---

\---

I went to lie down in Dongmyeong’s bunk while he stayed behind to clean the bathroom floor. Nobody had to know. He finally came and curled up beside me, bare skin against bare skin. My face was throbbing. Being on my hands and knees under him made the blood rush to my head a little. I hoped my nose wouldn’t start bleeding during the night.

Dongmyeong laced his fingers with mine and pushed closer to me. “I’m on the edge here, Giwook-ah,” he whispered. “Scoot back a little?” I did, nearly pressing myself up against the wall. “I think we need to replace these bunks with a real bed sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, you guys! We're already on chapter 20! Thank you so much for keeping me writing!
> 
> For my horny smut-lovers (I say with the utmost love and affection), there is a nice, long, steamy scene waiting for you in Fade To Black.


	21. Chapter 21

Dongmyeong ~*~

Dongju was nervous. I knew that, because I woke up naturally at five in the morning on the day they were filming a comeback stage. I opened KakaoTalk on my phone and quickly shot off an encouraging text to my only brother, then lay back in my bunk and tried to relax. Giwook snored softly beside me. The bruise below his eye had gone from very deep purple-blue to a slightly lighter purple-red with a faint greenish hue around the edges. It still looked painful. I reached over and placed my fingers on it gently, trying to feel if there was any swelling left below the skin. Giwook gasped. His eyes snapped open and I pulled my hand back. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as he slowly relaxed against me. “Did that hurt?”

“Did what hurt?” he asked.

“When I touched your bruise,” I explained. “Isn’t that what woke you up?”

“No, I didn’t know you touched me at all,” he said. His eyes drifted shut again. “I was dreaming. It’s nothing important.”

“What were you dreaming about?” I asked. I nestled myself into Giwook’s side. 

“Falling,” he whispered. I put my arm over him and pulled him close. “Now I know I’m on solid ground. It’s okay.”

We woke again a few hours later and piled into the van with our hyungs, bound for the recording studio. As we passed the company cafe, I saw the staff inside decorating it in hearts. Four days until Valentine’s Day. Giwook was in the seat next to me, and I tapped his thigh to get his attention. “What are we doing for Valentine’s Day?” I asked, unable to hide my excitement. It would be my first Valentine’s Day with a boyfriend.

“Well, I’d love to whisk you off to Jeju for a little getaway,” he pondered, tapping his chin. “We don’t have the money for that, so let’s go out for coffee and treats and then watch a movie together.”

“I honestly like that so much more than an island getaway anyway,” I said. “It’s more romantic.”

“Are you serious?” Giwook asked. He took my hand in his and started wiggling my fingers.

“Mhm, I want to honeymoon in a pillowfort someday.” Giwook stared at me in awe. “Honestly, jagiya. The simplest things can be the most intimate.”

“That’s so cute,” he breathed.

“I’ve had my whole wedding planned in my head for years,” I went on. “Not that it’ll ever happen. I can’t marry a man in this country. Not legally.”

“I don’t mean to eavesdrop,” Harin said, twisting around in his seat to face us, “but I have an idea. Let’s demand same-sex marriage.” I stared at him quizzically. “Listen. A lot of people are in favor of it. Times are changing. It literally can’t stay illegal forever. When the ruling class fucks its citizens over, the citizens revolt. It’s happened over and over, all over the world.” I kept staring. Didn’t I tell you he’s one of the smartest people I know? “All I’m saying is, if you guys want to add your voice to the fight, I’m right there beside you.”

“Can I add ‘politician’ to the list of things you should have become?” I asked. Harin snorted. The van stopped and we climbed out. 

“Can you believe we’re rock stars and the most rebellious thing we’re doing is supporting a same-sex couple?” Harin returned. “I shouldn’t have become any of the things on your list. I’m what I was supposed to be. I’m your hyung.”

“Don’t be so sappy.” I shoved his shoulder playfully and scampered around to hide behind Giwook. 

“Oh, man, don’t hide behind  _ that  _ guy!” Harin said overdramatically. “He’s got a black eye! I don’t want to piss off a guy who’s been in a real fight!”

“That’s enough,” Giwook said, throwing an arm over my shoulders as we walked into the building. “I really just want this black eye to go away. Preferably before we go out for Valentine’s Day.”

“Do you really feel safe going out, just the two of us?” I asked. “I mean, you took all the damage.”

“And I’d do it again, too,” he said. “If you sent me back in time to do that day over again, I would do everything exactly the same. I’d take a bullet for you. I’m not scared of that creep.”

Seungjin met us outside the door to our recording studio. He had sort of become our personal guard. We greeted him. He nodded his acknowledgement. “Seungjin-ssi,” Giwook said, bowing politely for the guard. “Do you have plans on Valentine’s Day?”

“Dinner with my wife,” he replied. “Why?”

“You have a wife?” Giwook asked. “Whoa, sweet, dude! I mean, that sounds nice. Would you have time to accompany us on our date earlier in the day? I was thinking of a little walk to a cafe around noon. Not the company cafe. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. There are other cafes in Seoul, you know?” Seungjin nodded, the tiniest smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “We wouldn’t be out more than a couple of hours. You’d still have time to get all dressed up for your lady.”

“Sounds like a good time,” Seungjin said. “I’ll keep an eye on you from a few tables away. I don’t want to intrude on anything romantic.” He smiled. Seungjin actually  _ smiled  _ at us. It was so completely different from his usual stone-faced glare, I nearly choked on my own tongue.

“Thank you, sir,” I said when I found my voice again.

“Thanks, Seungjin-ssi,” Giwook added as we followed our hyungs into the studio. “If we accidentally make you late for your date, I will personally make it up to your wife for you. I’ll send flowers and a poem or something.” Seungjin chuckled. “Cool. Up top!” Giwook raised his hand for a high five. Seungjin glared at him in his usual way. Just as Giwook was beginning to slowly drop his hand, the guard’s massive paw made contact. “Yeah, that’s our Seungjin-hyung! Okay, I’m gonna go to work now. Thanks again!”

“Did you just high five the security guy?” I asked, stifling a giggle. 

“I’m very proud to say that yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” Giwook puffed out his chest. “Honestly, I think I’m his favorite of the five of us.”

We spent a lot of time tracking my vocals that day. I drank a lot of hot green tea with a spoonful of honey and a squirt of lemon juice. Our producer said he would stop me as soon as I showed signs of getting tired or sore. As one of our two main vocalists, I had a lot of lines. That meant a lot of work to do, and a lot of takes. I fought the vocal fatigue for as long as I could, but halfway through the day, my voice cracked. “And you are done for the day, Dongmyeong-ssi,” the producer said into the mic at the mixing console. I could hear him through my headphones in the recording booth.

“PD-nim, it was just a little crack,” I complained. “I can finish that song today!”

“No,” PD said, folding his arms across his chest. “I know you’re eager. I know how hard you boys work. Do yourself a favor and take a break from singing for the rest of the day so you still have your beautiful voice tomorrow.”

“Yes, PD-nim.” I took the big over-ear headphones off and shook my head to fluff up my hair a little. Nobody wants headphone hair. I emerged from the booth and sat in Giwook’s lap.

“And next on the list is…” PD checked his clipboard. “Let’s have Yonghoon jump in there and track that golden voice.”

“Yes, PD-nim,” Yonghoon said with a smile as he took over the recording booth. He ran a few warm-ups before committing anything to the hard drive. 

Yonghoon and I have very different voices. He has a larger range and a stronger falsetto. My voice is a little airier, my highest notes coming out almost in whisper. Someone once likened us to a loud and bright daytime versus a calm and gentle night. Yonghoon’s voice is the day. My voice is the night. It makes perfect sense. As I learned from Dongju, I do have a knack for singing people to sleep. I used to sing to him before this whole K-pop idol life thing happened for us. I still do it when he calls me late at night because he can’t make his eyes stay shut on his own. No one else has ever asked me for a lullaby, nor have I ever offered.

It’s not that I wouldn’t sing anyone else to sleep. I would. You could ask me for a lullaby right now and I’d sing to you until you drift off. It’s just… special with Dongju. It’s one of those things we’ve kept to help us stay close together. It’s like how otters sleep holding hands so they won’t drift apart in the water.

So when my only brother called me late that night and said he couldn’t sleep, I started singing his favorite lullaby without even being asked. Giwook nuzzled into the crook of my neck while I sang into the phone. I stopped when I heard Dongju’s big yawn. We wished each other sweet dreams and I hung up. Giwook planted a gentle kiss on my collarbone. “You sing like a bird, Myeong-ah,” he whispered. “Sing for me sometimes too?”

“I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was sooo soft.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For atmosphere, the author recommends listening to "About Time" by Hoppipola while you read this one.

^o^-> CyA

I couldn’t cover my black eye with makeup, no matter how hard I tried, so I stopped trying. It was still just dark enough that nothing I had would make the red and green bruise disappear. I decided to wear it like a badge of honor instead. I had stood up for my boyfriend. Any injuries sustained were just collateral damage.

I threw a denim jacket on over my new favorite t-shirt. It was a gift from Amanda. She had bought one for me and a matching one for Dongmyeong. I still wasn’t excited about doing the matchy-matchy couple thing, but I’d make an exception for this shirt. It was soft and white with rainbow letters that spelled out ‘Proud of Us’ in English.

When I met him at the door, I saw that Dongmyeong had opted not to wear the same shirt. He had a soft lavender sweater, two sizes too big. With light, shimmering makeup to accentuate his already enormous eyes, he took my breath away. I was stunned into silence, just like on the night of my birthday. “Seungjin-hyung is waiting outside the building,” Dongmyeong said as he took my hand. “Are you ready to go? You look really good.”

“Yeah,” I said. “You do too.”

He reached up to cup my cheek, gently stroking with his thumb. “You couldn’t cover it, huh?”

“Not with all the concealer in the world,” I laughed.

“That’s okay.” Dongmyeong pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “You’re still perfect.”

Seungjin walked us to the cafe, following a few paces behind, trying to make us feel a bit less like we were being babysat. I held the door for Dongmyeong to enter the small cafe, then hung back to let Seungjin enter too. He put his hand on the door and gestured for me to go first. “Can I pay for your coffee, Seungjin-hyung?” I asked. “I feel like we owe you for this.”

“Don’t worry about me, kids,” Seungjin said. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Enjoy each other.” I nodded and reached for my boyfriend’s hand, letting my fingers slot comfortably between his. 

“Order whatever you like,” I told Dongmyeong as we approached the counter. “It’s all on me today.”

“Can we stop in a convenience store on the way home so I can buy us snacks for the movie later?” he asked. “I can’t put everything on you.”

“If Seungjin-hyung doesn’t mind.”

“Okay.” Dongmyeong tapped his chin as he studied the menu board. “Souffle pancakes? Um… with strawberries and whipped cream! And an iced americano.”

“Double it,” I said. “That sounds really good.”

We were given our drinks and told to choose a table and sit down. We sat at a table by the window, facing each other. Hoppipola's song _About Time_ played over the PA system. Seungjin took up a nearby table, sipping one of those absurd coffee milkshake hybrids, messing around with his phone so he wouldn’t look like he was watching us. I had expected him to have a steaming cup of straight black coffee. I chuckled, wrapping my lips around my straw. “What’s so funny?” Dongmyeong asked, a smile beginning to tug at his mouth, threatening to melt my heart with his dimples again. I tilted my head in Seungjin’s direction, intending for Dongmyeong to look that way. He did. “Wait, he ordered _that_ thing?” he giggled. “What the hell?”

“Right?” I said. “I bet he’s watching cute girl group videos on his phone.” 

We laughed. Our food arrived. The thick, fluffy souffle pancakes jiggled when the plates landed. “They’re beautiful,” Dongmyeong laughed, digging in. “Thank you for the treat, jagiya.”

“Thank you for the love,” I replied. Dongmyeong looked surprised. He stared at me for a moment before smiling again, a light pink color softly dusting his cheeks. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day. They gave me more strawberries. Do you want some?”

“Keep your strawberries,” I laughed. I took my first bite of the pancakes. They were soft and airy, like eating a cloud. 

My phone chimed with a message from Seungjin. I went on high alert immediately, shooting a glance around the cafe, looking for any sign of Jinseo. Then I opened the message. It was a series of photos. He was snapping cute pictures of us the whole time. They were accompanied by a single text message. _I just thought you should have pictures of your first Valentine’s Day._ I forwarded everything to Dongmyeong. 

After asking permission from Seungjin - we didn’t want to make him late to meet his wife - we opted for a short walk through a park on the way home. Nothing was growing yet. We had a good month or so left to wait for the blossoms. It was nice to be out in the fresh air again. I put my arms around Dongmyeong’s tiny frame and kissed him. Somehow it felt like we were making a huge statement by kissing in public. Seungjin sent pictures of that too.

We were halfway through the park when Seungjin approached us, tapping both of our shoulders. “I know I said I would let you guys have the whole date to yourselves, but this is important,” he said. We stopped on the paved footpath. He showed us his phone. There on the screen was a headline. _Police arrest Baek Jinseo in Gangnam._ Dongmyeong took Seungjin’s phone from him and began scrolling through the news story. Apparently, the cops had found Jinseo hiding at a friend’s apartment in Gangnam. An anonymous neighbor had called the police station to tip them off about Jinseo’s whereabouts. They had taken him into custody only hours before the article hit the news website. “He did a shitty job of hiding. I’m thinking legal will want to talk to you guys soon. If they call and ask for you today, tell them to put it off for tomorrow. You should have time to talk things over.”

Dongmyeong returned Seungjin’s phone and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Holy fuck,” he whispered. “They got him.”

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Amazing,” he replied. “Elated. But I’m worried. We’re going to have court dates to go to. I don’t want to have to pause work on the comeback. That feels like letting our hyungs down.”

“At least you know you’re safe outside your apartment again,” Seungjin said, pocketing his phone. “You won’t need me anymore.”

“I still feel better with you around, hyung,” Dongmyeong said. 

“Good. Because I can’t stop following you guys around until the department calls me off anyway.”

We stopped into a convenience store for movie night snacks. Seungjin waited for us outside. Dongmyeong picked up honey butter potato chips and a bag of Banana Kick, which are like Cheetos puffs but covered in a sweet banana flavor instead of cheese dust. We grabbed a couple of instant ramen bowls too. Sounds like a nice, healthy movie night. Dongmyeong paid for our snacks and Seungjin walked us back to the apartment building. “What are you and your wife doing tonight, Seungjin-hyung?” I asked.

“Well, we’re not eating junk food and watching Disney movies,” he laughed. “She’s pregnant, so we’re trying to eat better. I don’t know what she has planned.”

“She’s pregnant?” Dongmyeong blurted. “You’re an expectant father and you’ve been risking your life for us? Are you kidding me?”

“Congratulations,” I said.

“Thank you,” Seungjin said. “And I’m already a father. This is our second baby. I have a three-year-old girl at home. Her name is Mina.”

“We owe you so much,” Dongmyeong said.

“Come and babysit sometime and we’ll call it even,” Seungjin joked. “You guys have a good day. Try not to think too much about that news article. Just enjoy the holiday for now. I’ve got a date to get ready for.” He waited until we were in the building before waving at us through the glass door and walking away in the direction of the company.

We stepped inside our apartment. Hyungu was missing. He had probably run off with Amanda somewhere. Harin noticed us immediately and scrambled for his phone. “Have you guys seen the news?” he asked, pulling up the same article Seungjin showed us in the park.

“They caught him,” I said. “We know.”

“They updated the article,” Harin said. “The police say they have CCTV footage of the assault.”

That made sense. There were surveillance cameras all over the streets of Seoul. “So they have proof that I didn’t fight, is what you’re saying,” I said.

“It’ll be an open-and-shut case.” Harin smiled. “I’m so glad we don’t have to worry about him anymore. You guys, I am _so_ relieved!”

“Me too,” Dongmyeong said. “I don’t think he can be charged for anything he did to me. I don’t have any proof. But I’m glad he’s at least getting a little bit of what he deserves.”

“I’ll still make sure the whole world knows he’s a rapist,” I growled. “I don’t care if he can’t be charged for lack of evidence. For now, can we just have our movie marathon?” I lifted the plastic bag from the convenience store gently out of Dongmyeong’s hand. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Seungjin-hyung told us to focus on each other and fuck the news.”

“Speaking of Seungjin-hyung,” Dongmyeong began, “did you guys know he has a daughter?” Harin and Yonghoon both shook their heads. “He does! And another baby on the way! He stopped to talk with us for a while before we came inside.”

“That’s awesome,” Yonghoon said. “I may have guessed he was either a father or an older brother. Maybe both. He’s that kind of caring protective, not just aggressively protective. That’s really cool. I bet his daughter is cute.”

Dongmyeong and I took over the living room for the night, spreading out blankets on the floor. We cuddled and watched animated Disney movies. Dongmyeong rested his head on my chest while I ran my fingers through his hair. His hand sat on my hip, following its contour. I marveled a little at how well we seemed to fit together, like puzzle pieces. They need a Prince Charming with his own Prince Charming in one of these movies. I’d watch that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's everyone doing?  
> My state is starting a shelter-in-place mandate at the end of the day tomorrow. I had a Zoom meeting for work today. Classes start up again on Monday, which is my birthday, but we're doing everything online. I'm quite stressed, but writing for you guys makes me feel better.  
> I hope you liked this chapter!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to read the accompanying Fade To Black if you're into that sort of thing! It's a bit shorter this time.

Dongmyeong ~*~

We posted a few of Seungjin’s photos on our social accounts. Naturally, Dispatch was the first site to pick up our posts and make an article out of them.  _ ONEWE’s Dongmyeong and CyA Prove True Love is Real on Adorable Valentine Date,  _ they said in their headline. 

I don’t normally read comments, but I really liked the ones that said, “I’m not even a fan, but they’re so cute!” Although, I’m not sure what the point is of putting emphasis on the fact you’re not a fan. 

Giwook’s hobby was scrolling through the mean comments about us and laughing at them. My skin just wasn’t thick enough for that. 

“Why don’t you guys set up your own Instagram account?” Yonghoon had asked me. “You’d have way more control over who sees what you post and what they say to you.”

He made a good point. Some of our fans adored our music but were uncomfortable seeing photos of Giwook and me as a couple. They could simply choose not to follow our account. Even the non-fans who just thought we were cute could follow us and see what we were getting up to. That’s why I was curled up on the sofa in the studio, my phone in my hand, setting up a special Instagram account for the two of us while Giwook rapped in the recording booth. We broke for lunch and Giwook emerged from the booth to flop down by my feet. He took them, stretching my legs out over his lap, and placed them back down on the sofa. He rested his arms on my legs. “What are you up to?” he asked. “You had your phone in your face the whole time I was recording. I almost think you don’t think my rapping is cool anymore.”

“Your rapping is cool,” I said, not looking up from my phone. “I’m just… busy. It took me an hour to come up with a username.”

“For what?” I turned my phone so he could see what I was doing. “Oh, cute! That’s for us?”

“It is,” I said with a nod.

“Does this mean we have to take a thousand selcas a day now?” he groaned.

“Don’t be silly, jagiya,” I scoffed. “We’re not Keonhee.” I hummed to myself. “I need to pick a profile photo. What should we use?”

“Use one of our selcas from our coming out day,” Giwook suggested. He squeezed my knee a little, trying to tickle me.

“Good idea!” I uploaded Giwook’s favorite selca from that day, where he was kissing my cheek in front of the company cafe. “This photo is so cute.”

“That’s because you’re in it,” Giwook flirted. 

“You guys are the most adorably disgusting thing in the world,” Yonghoon informed us as he handed us each a lunchbox from the cafe. “Don’t get so preoccupied with Instagram that you forget to eat lunch.”

“We won’t, hyung,” I said. 

I dug into my lunchbox. It had rice, a roll of kimchi kimbap, grilled chicken, and a cream bun for dessert. I had a yogurt drink with it. Giwook’s was similar, but with pork instead of chicken and mixed vegetables instead of dessert. He didn’t even let me move my legs out of his lap while we ate. I snuck a quick photo of him eating lunch on my legs and uploaded it to our fancy new Instagram account. We were already gaining followers. Yonghoon had logged into the band’s Instagram and followed us. Once the fans saw that, they knew we were legitimate.

“Are you taking selcas over there?” Giwook teased.

“No,” I said. “Just filling my camera roll with pictures of you.” He blushed, stuffing another piece of pork in his mouth. “You’re cute.” I took another picture.

“Stop!” he whined. “You don’t need pictures of me eating! That’s weird!”

“ _ You’re  _ weird.” I set my phone aside and finished my lunch, then picked up my cream bun. “Do you want some of my bun?” Giwook glanced over and smiled. I unwrapped the sweet, fluffy treat. “I’ll give you half.”

“Maybe just a bite.” Giwook opened his mouth and I brought my dessert to him. He took a bite. “That’s a really good bun! They must have just made that bun!”

“Really?” I bit into it. Giwook was right, it really was fresh.

My phone chimed with a message from Hyungu.  _ For your Instagram, _ it said. He had secretly taken pictures of me feeding my cream bun to Giwook. It probably made him slightly nauseous, so I was touched.

A few hours later, Giwook left us to spend time in his own studio. He had been working on a project with Youngjo and he wanted to finalize it so he could put it on SoundCloud. I stayed behind to finish up some subvocals on our comeback. We were probably a day away from being done with our part of the process. There was a little polishing left to do before the tracks were mastered. After that, they would be ready for distribution.

With Jinseo under house arrest until our court date in May, the restrictions placed on us were lifted considerably. Seungjin no longer lurked outside the door of the studio. We were allowed to walk again, so long as we stayed in a group. Once we finished for the night, the hyungs and I walked home. Giwook would still need an escort from his studio whenever he finished, but that would be much later in the night. I was snacking on fish-flavored rice crackers on the sofa when the thought occurred to me that  _ I  _ could totally walk him home! I quickly packed a backpack with snacks, a couple of drinks, and two slightly more private items and headed for the door.

“Where are you off to?” Hyungu asked as I opened the door.

“Giwook-ah’s studio,” I replied, adjusting the straps of my backpack. “I’m going to spend some time there with him. I’ve got snacks. We’ll walk home together.”

“You’re going alone now though?” I nodded. “You know we’re still supposed to stay in a group.”

“I know. But I’ll be fine! I can be careful.” I nibbled at my bottom lip. “It’s okay, hyung. I’ll call when I get to the company and prove that I’m safe.”

“If anybody catches you, we’re all in trouble.” I pouted. “Fine. Just be careful. And remember to call.”

I happily sucked in the fresh air when I stepped out into the sunset-bathed street. Even though I knew I was safe, there was a fearful part of me that wanted to drag me back home and call Seungjin to be Giwook’s escort when he was done for the night. But I made it safely to the company campus and stood confidently outside Giwook’s studio door. I tried the handle, pleased to find it unlocked. “Jagiya,” I said as I stepped inside. “I brought snacks.”

Giwook was sitting at his console, headphones over his ears, totally unaware that I was there. I took a moment to call Hyungu and tell him I was safe, then I stepped up behind my boyfriend and very slowly dug my fingers into his sides. Giwook let out a scream like I had never heard, shooting out of his chair. He ripped the headphones off his ears and spun around. “Don’t do that!” he whined. I laughed. “It’s not funny, Myeong-ah. I didn’t know who you were. What if I went on the defensive and hit you?”

“But you didn’t,” I cooed, putting my hands on his hips and leaning in for a kiss. “How’s work?”

“It’s great when I’m not having a fucking heart attack.” He turned back to the computer and unplugged his headphones. “Listen to this part. I just added to it before you came in.” He clicked a few things on the screen and a section of the song filled the room, booming from a high-fidelity speaker on the desk. Giwook bobbed his head to the beat. When the part he was showing off ended, he stopped the song and turned to face me. “What do you think? Sick, right? I was planning on adding some bass in here too.”

I took my backpack off while Giwook rambled, setting it on the floor and pulling out a small box of chocolate filled biscuit cookies. I opened the box and placed one of the tiny cookies in his mouth. “I like it,” I said. “I think you have a really good grasp on what you’re doing there. I would add a little more treble into the mix to balance it out, but maybe that’s just me.”

“No, you’re right,” Giwook said after he swallowed. “You should throw in a cool piano fill for me.” He ushered me to the desk where he had a small MIDI keyboard set up. “Sit down. Listen to it a few times. Just improvise, Myeong-ah. You’re so talented.” I sat in his chair, the seat still warm, and he kissed the top of my head. “It will sound so good.”

I messed around with different piano tones for a bit before I found one I liked. It was a classic grand piano. Giwook watched me from the other chair in the studio while he dug through my backpack and ate some snacks. I knew he’d be hungry. I was working out a high harmony on the piano keys, not entirely matching the rest of the song, but staying in the same key and just embellishing it a bit, when I heard Giwook laugh. “Why did you bring lube?”

“In case you were feeling stressed,” I said. “I’m ready to commit this part if you like it.”

“I love it,” Giwook said. He put the lube back in my backpack, dusted the crumbs off his fingers, and stood behind me, leaning into my back. He smelled nice. “Now I’ll just add a new track for you to record to.” He clicked around faster than my eyes could follow, and suddenly there was a brand new empty track that he’d labeled with my name. He turned and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Use the headphones when you’re recording, nae sarang. Otherwise, it will pick up what’s coming from the speakers too.”

I worked on my piano track for close to an hour while Giwook watched me. Every time I turned around, he was staring at me with a soft smile on his face. “How do I save?” I asked. Giwook stood up and showed me what I needed to know. “I think I’m done now. Do you want to hear it?”

“I do,” Giwook said. “In fact, let’s listen to the whole thing.”

“Without Youngjo?” I was suddenly nervous. “He won’t want anybody else to hear it without him present though. I know Youngjo. He’s picky like that.”

“This isn’t Youngjo’s song,” Giwook said softly, planting another kiss on my cheek. “This one is just me. Well, me and you, now. And I wrote the words for you, so I want you to hear it.”

“You wrote me a song?” I asked in disbelief. “When did you have time to write me a song?”

“I worked on the lyrics when I couldn’t sleep, back when you were making me sleep alone.” Giwook’s fingers slowly brushed through my hair. “I wrote you a love song. Please listen to it.”

He clicked the button to play the whole song with all tracks merged into one complete piece. It was definitely in his own unique style. I appreciated all of the work that had gone into it. His pre-chorus lyrics said he would bleed, sweat, and cry for me, and he had proven that. “I can’t believe you made that for me,” I whispered. “It’s so good. Giwook-ah, I love my song!”

“Good,” he said, pulling the chair back and spinning it around so I faced him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Giwook leaned down and slowly pressed his lips against mine. He slipped his tongue in my mouth. With his finger under my chin, he tilted my head back slightly, his thumb coaxing my jaw to drop and give him greater access. He lifted my shirt, letting his hands slide softly along my skin. Once my shirt was off, he tossed it so it would land on the CCTV camera in the corner of his studio, covering its lens.

\---

\---

We cleaned up after ourselves before shutting everything down and walking home. 

Did we get in trouble for having sex in a studio? Oh yeah.


	24. Chapter 24

^o^-> CyA

We took advantage of a day of downtime while the comeback was being mastered. During that day off, Dongmyeong and I disassembled our bunk beds and put them away in storage. The new queen bed would be a little difficult to squeeze into our tiny room, but we’d be so much more comfortable after we got it all set up.

I sat in the middle of the floor, parts strewn out around me, trying to decipher the directions to put the new bed frame together. Dongmyeong took a picture and put it on Instagram. “Why are you Instagramming right now?” I laughed. “Get down here and help me!”

Dongmyeong got down on his knees beside me and gently took the directions out of my hand. “Let’s see here…” he muttered. He glanced back and forth between the instruction sheet and the few pieces I had managed to assemble. “I think that’s on backwards, jagiya.”

“It’s not backwards,” I argued. “I did what it said on the sheet!” 

Yonghoon wandered in, standing in the doorway, smiling down at us. “Ah, the true test of a relationship,” he said. “Attempting to build furniture together. If you survive this, you’re meant to be together.” He leaned against the doorframe. “Do you want help, by any chance?”

“Why?” I asked. “You want to supervise again?”

“Point taken,” Yonghoon said. “Just so you know, the mattress is here. No rush, but it’s taking up most of the living room.”

I groaned, lying back on the floor. Sharp little furniture parts dug into a tender spot between my shoulder blades and I popped back up. “If I wanted to do a puzzle, I would have bought a puzzle!” I grumbled.

“We should be streaming this,” Yonghoon laughed.

“No, we shouldn’t!” I replied. “No, we absolutely should not! My head is going to explode.”

Dongmyeong easily slotted a few things together next to me. “Hey, I figured out the corner braces,” he said. “I was right. You had it backwards.”

“What are you, a carpenter?” I cracked.

“Well, the frame is made of metal, so… no?” Dongmyeong giggled. “Here, you see how they fit together?” I nodded. “You take the other two corners and I’ll do this one over here. Then we can figure out the rest.”

“Yeah, I think you kids are gonna be fine,” Yonghoon said. He walked away, whistling to himself.

A few minutes later, I heard Dongmyeong yelp. “Oh, what do I do?” he whimpered.

“You okay?” I asked, abandoning my task. “Nae sarang, are you hurt?”

“I cut my finger,” he said, pouting. He held his left index finger gingerly, studying a fairly deep little cut between the first and second knuckle. 

“Hyung!” I shouted. “One of you! Can you bring the first aid kit for us?”

“On it!” came a response from the living room. Seconds later, Hyungu was in the room, carefully stepping around furniture parts. He handed me the little first aid bag we kept in the kitchen. “Dongmyeong-ah, what did you do?” he asked, looking over my shoulder.

“Just pushed a little too hard on this piece,” he said. “It’s nothing to worry about.” 

Hyungu set to work dabbing up blood and cleaning the cut. He bandaged it and I planted a tiny kiss over the bandage. “Okay, as long as you’re fine, I’m gonna go vomit,” Hyungu said. “Bring the first aid kit out when you’re done in here. You might need it again.”

After about an hour of sweat, cursing, and jammed fingers, we had a frame with a headboard. Next, we had to figure out how to get the rest of the bed into the room. With Dongmyeong’s logistical skills and Harin’s muscles, we did eventually get it into the room and on the frame. “I don’t feel like making the bed,” I groaned as Dongmyeong tossed a set of new sheets down on the mattress. “I want a nap and a Choco Pie first.”

“You big baby,” Dongmyeong teased. “We can nap in our new bed after the sheets are on it.”

“Deal.”

I didn’t get to take that nap. My phone rang just as I was tossing my pillow onto the bed. It was Youngjo. “PD-nim,” he said affectionately. “Let’s work on our song today. You have the day off, right?”

“I do,” I replied. “Why did you call me that, hyung?”

“Because you’re the producer of this song! PD-nim!” Youngjo wailed. “I can meet you at your studio as soon as you get to the company. I knocked but you’re not here.”

“No, I was putting furniture together with Myeong-ah,” I said. “We got a new bed.”

“Ooh, cute!” he teased. “Well, if you want to bring him, I’ll make sure not to leave the two of you alone together.”

“Funny, hyung,” I deadpanned. Thanks to Harin’s big mouth, everybody knew about the trouble we got into. “I can be there in twenty minutes or so. Wait for me.” I hung up and kissed Dongmyeong on the cheek. “I’m going in to work with Youngjo,” I said. 

“What about our nap?” he asked. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Am I supposed to just wait until tonight to fall asleep with you?”

“Sorry,” I said. “We have to work on things when we both have time. You know how it is.”

“I do,” he sighed. “Don’t be too late.”

“I’ll be home before you fall asleep,” I promised. “Love you.”

“You too! Can you bring me a snack on your way home?” Dongmyeong smiled sweetly at me. “I don’t know what I want. Just pick something salty.”

“I can do that.” I waved and left the bedroom. I told our members where I was going. We had become  _ very  _ lax about staying in pairs and groups, and I left the apartment by myself, heading for the company.

I arrived to find Youngjo sitting against the wall outside of my studio. “Hey! You’re here!” he said, climbing to his feet. “Should I be afraid of what I’ll see when you unlock the door?”

“Shut up, hyung,” I mumbled as I unlocked the studio and flung the door open. “We cleaned after.”

“Wait, it’s true?” he asked. His eyes widened, then he busted up laughing. “That’s amazing. So you’re not allowed to be alone together here anymore?”

“That’s right,” I sighed. “Not even if we’re getting legitimate work done. I’d happily break the rules, but if Dongmyeong-ah and I are caught here alone again, I lose my studio.”

“Wow,” Youngjo breathed. He dropped into one of my chairs and leaned back, stretching his legs out wide. “That’s some shit. You are in serious trouble if you only get one strike.” He was quiet for a moment while I booted up the computer. “So, you got a new bed because you broke the old one fucking?” he laughed.

“No!” I shrieked, blushing. “We just replaced the bunks with a queen so we have more room to spread out.”

“You know what?” Youngjo asked. I grumbled nonsense in response. “That’s actually really sweet. I’m glad you guys seem to be doing well. Happiness looks good on you, my friend.”

“Quit being such a cheese,” I laughed. 

“No, really. It’s all over both your faces. You’re like, glowing from the inside. Like if I replaced your brain with a lightbulb. Which I would never do, because you’re an absolutely brilliant kid. I wish I had your sense for musical composition. I try, but man, I’m no CyA.”

“Shut up and rap,” I said, handing over a microphone.

“And do the oxymoron!” Youngjo exclaimed. “You got it, PD-nim!”

We got a surprising amount of work done that night. I had promised Dongmyeong I’d be back before bedtime, and when we emerged from the studio to find a dark sky, I hoped I could keep that promise. Youngjo walked home with me. “Hyung, hang on,” I said as we approached the convenience store near the company. “I have to get something for Myeong-ah.” We ducked inside and I picked up a bag of sweet potato chips for Dongmyeong and a box of Choco Pies for everyone. 

“Did he ask you for a snack?” Youngjo asked.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Right before I left the apartment.”

“Aww. You’re whipped.”

“I’m fine with that.” I paid for my purchases and we continued our walk home. “I hope he hasn’t gone to bed yet.”

“Why? Gotta christen the new one?” Youngjo teased.

“Hyung, I swear to God, I will push you into traffic.”

Youngjo and I parted ways in the hall between our apartments. I found all my bandmates waiting for me when I got home. “Took you long enough,” Dongmyeong said, sticking his tongue out. “Did you bring me a snack?”

“Salty, as requested,” I said. I held up the bag of sweet potato chips and smiled. Dongmyeong pranced over, kissed me on the lips, and claimed his prize, digging into the chips immediately. “I brought Choco Pies too.”

“I’ll take one of those!” Hyungu said. He held his hand up high, eyes still fixed on the TV screen. They were all watching a rerun of the King of Masked Singers. I tossed a Choco Pie at Hyungu. It hit his palm and dropped into his lap before he could curl his fingers around it. “Damn.”

“I would  _ love  _ to be on this show one day,” Yonghoon raved. “Can you imagine? Just think of the exposure we would get.”

“You have perhaps the biggest vocal range in K-pop,” I pointed out as I continued distributing Choco Pies to my hyungs. “Your voice is pretty distinctive.”

“Yeah, but it’s not about being found out!” Yonghoon bit into his Choco Pie and pulled me onto the floor next to him. “Giwookie, this show is about being good! I bet I could be king for at least a week.”

“I’m glad you’re so humble,” I teased.

“I’ll show you humble,” Yonghoon grumbled. He wrapped an arm around my neck so I couldn’t get away and started messing up my hair. “What do you think? Feeling humble, kid?” He released me. “We should all probably go to bed when this is over though. We want to look well-rested for photos tomorrow, right?”

Climbing into a queen-size bed felt weird. The blankets were tucked very tightly around our feet. That’s how Dongmyeong likes it. He told me I could stretch and kick until they were looser if I wanted. It was weird to look up and see the ceiling after all the time I spent looking up at the underside of my bunk. It was really weird not having to squish as close as I could to Dongmyeong to make sure we both fit. “Are you as lonely right now as I am?” I heard him whisper at the ceiling.

“Yeah,” I said. “Come closer.” We both wiggled to the middle of the bed to hold each other. “This is better.”

Dongmyeong rubbed his nose against mine. “This is perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoever put CyA in a headband for this comeback deserves a raise.


	25. Chapter 25

Dongmyeong ~*~

I sat in a chair in the old warehouse with a plush red blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I had two stylists buzzing around my head at the same time. The woman was fussing over my hair. The man was carefully applying my makeup. The warehouse had no climate controls and I was shivering uncontrollably, frustrating both of the stylists. It’s not my fault it was a chilly, rainy day. 

The man in front of me sighed and pulled his brush away from my lips. “Dongmyeong-ssi, if you don’t stop quivering like that everyone will think I did your makeup in the middle of an earthquake,” he said. 

“I’m sorry, hyung,” I said. I pulled my blanket tighter around my body. “I’m really trying not to shake.”

“You’re almost as bad as your boyfriend,” he laughed, dipping the brush in a dark red lip tint and approaching my face with it again. “His teeth chattered the whole time I was working on him. You poor guys. You’ll freeze to death once you drop that blanket and start shooting.”

“At least it’s just for a day,” I said, tapping my lips together to spread and diffuse the tint. I looked at my reflection in the brightly lit mirror. “Hyung, this isn’t too bold?” I pointed at my mouth.

“It’s not too bold,” he confirmed. “Trust me. Once they get you under the lights and among all of the… stuff there, the props, your face will get lost without a bold lip. We can’t have that, because you’re a vocalist. We want people’s focus to be on your mouth when you sing. I’m an artist. Believe in the artist.”

It’s common practice in K-pop to take album photos and film the video for the first single all in one session. They usually prefer to have us do photos first, just in case we sweat, mess up our hair and makeup, or tear a piece of clothing. As soon as we were ready, they placed us in front of an old brick wall. We stood there together, trying to look tough. Not an easy feat for a band frequently written off for being “prettyboys,” but I think we managed. It didn’t hurt that my finger was still bandaged up from the day before. Considering the tough-guy concept we were going for, it read more like a fashion choice than a legitimate injury. We sat on a set of wooden shipping crates, staring off into the distance, refusing to smile. They showed us some of the photos after we were done with group shots. The makeup artist was right about my lips.

We did individual shots. Giwook found a massive tire iron on the ground somewhere and the photographer decided to use it as his prop. We got an amazing photo of him holding it by the bent end, swinging it casually in an arc. My favorite solo shot was the one where I was in the old foreman’s office, reaching up towards a bright, bare lightbulb. Yonghoon had a good one in the same office. He sat in the chair with one foot up on the desk, draped his arm over his elevated knee, and just stared the camera down like he wanted to punch it.

Right before we started filming the video, the stylists buzzed in for touch-ups. Even our wardrobe stylist got in on the fun, smoothing out wrinkles and re-tucking shirts. When she asked if everyone was comfortable, four of us nodded. Harin groaned. “Man was not meant to wear pants this tight,” he said, tugging at his pant legs, trying to give himself a little more space.

“I’m sorry,” the wardrobe noona said, stifling a giggle. “It’s just for a few more hours, Harin-ssi. You’ll be fine.”

“Will I?” He gave himself one more good tug before giving up and sitting on the throne behind his drums. 

The photographer was still snapping pictures at a fever pace, catching some candid behind-the-scenes shots. We did our first take of the song for the first two camera angles. The cameras were moved and we did our second take for the third and fourth angles. There was a third take for an angle from behind the drums, and a staggered fourth for closeups. That means they played specific chunks of the song where they wanted closeups and shoved a camera in one of our faces during those chunks. If you’ve never had a camera lens eighteen centimeters from your face, you’re not really missing out on much. Don’t get me wrong. I  _ love  _ being an idol. It’s just… exhausting.

After the performance shots, we had story shots. Just little video clips of us looking cool. Giwook got his tire iron back, and he walked in front of the camera twirling it in his hand by his hip. It looked really cool from the camera’s low angle. 

The big climax of the video came when they set up glass bottles of neon-colored paint and handed Yonghoon a baseball bat. He would have one chance to get it right. Part of me was really envious; I wanted to smash things too. That part was nearly drowned out by the rest of my brain saying, “That’s too much pressure!”

They set up a high-speed camera to capture everything. One of the tech crew explained it to us. Normally, they shoot twenty-four frames per second, but this scene of Yonghoon would have a thousand. Some kind of science magic happens, and that’s how high-quality slow-motion video works. 

“No pressure, but you can only do it once, so make it count,” the director said as he handed over the aluminum baseball bat. Yonghoon swallowed and took a deep breath, stepping up to his mark. “Roll and… action, Jin Yonghoon!” Yonghoon twisted back, loading up like a spring. The bat flew above the row of bottles. “Okay, cut! Good follow-through, but you missed.”

“Sorry,” Yonghoon said. He rested the bat over his shoulder. “I think I’m too tall. Can we raise the platform for the bottles?”

“You were just barely too high. Angle your swing a little lower and you’ll blast them head-on.” The director backed up again and Yonghoon reset, standing firmly on his mark. “Take two! Roll and… action!”

This time, the bottles exploded in a spray of green, blue, yellow, and pink. It was shockingly loud and I yelped in surprise. The director cut the scene and everyone clapped. We were almost done.

We had another set of performance closeups to do. They took just a section of the song, about a minute from the end, and threw neon paint on us while we performed it. There were a few full-band takes of that same minute of music with all of us covered in paint. For the final shot, we walked shoulder-to-shoulder towards the camera, Yonghoon in the center with his baseball bat held up behind his neck. 

Before setting us free, they took one more round of group and individual photos. The paint was starting to dry on our faces, so the makeup artist had to spritz us with water. “Isn’t it frustrating that  _ this  _ is what they did to your hard work?” I asked as he dabbed up excess water from my chin.

“It would have been ruined when you washed your face tonight anyway,” he said. “I think this is a cool concept.”

It was close to ten in the evening when the crew called it a wrap on our video. We cheered. “I can take my pants off!” Harin exclaimed.

We were able to clean our faces with wipes on-site, but there was no shower. So, after changing back into comfy clothes, we rode home with paint in our hair. Between the main bathroom in the hall and the ensuite in the hyungs’ room, two people could shower at the same time in our apartment. Three, if they weren’t grossed out by Giwook and me showering together. I was the last to wash up that night and as I left the bathroom, I heard a familiar voice asking for me in the living room. I towel-dried my hair and threw on a hoodie and basketball shorts and ventured out to find the voice’s source.

Dongju, clad in his pajamas and clinging to his stuffed bear Doongdoongie for dear life, sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV. “Ju-yah, I thought I heard you,” I said, approaching and ruffling my brother’s hair. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “It’s not like I couldn’t have talked to my members. I just… felt like I needed my brother.” I knelt down next to him and put my arm around his shoulder. “Although, I don’t know how much you’ll be able to help. It’s not like you’ve ever had… girl problems.”

I smiled and craned my neck, looking back at Giwook. “I’ve had boy problems,” I said. “They’re not that different, probably.”

“Why did you look at  _ me _ when you said ‘boy problems?’” Giwook asked. “I am offended. I am  _ not  _ a problem. If anything, I’m a solution.” I snorted, dropping my forehead onto my twin’s shoulder, shaking with silent laughter.

“Ju-yah, talk to me,” I said. “If I don’t have the answers, somebody here does. Probably Hyungu. He’s got a girl right now.”

Dongju squeezed Doongdoongie. “Her name is Jiyoung,” he said. “She’s a trainee from JYP. I met her when she was helping her sunbae group backstage, like, right after we finished our comeback stage. We have each other’s Kakao contact. We’ve talked a few times. She’s really cute.”

“And the problem is?” I asked.

Dongju looked at me like I was stupid and took a deep breath. “She’s a trainee from  _ JYP  _ and neither of us is allowed to date openly or we breach our contracts. I want to ask her out but I don’t want either of us getting in trouble. Myeong-ah, what do I do?”

“Go out at night,” Hyungu said. “Wear a cap and a mask. Hopefully, no one who might recognize you will see you. If your faces are hidden, the companies can deny everything and diffuse a scandal. And try to meet up privately. No going out for dates. Either you go to her, or she comes to you.”

“That sounds like a lot of work,” Dongju muttered.

“You like her enough to make the effort?” I asked. He buried half his face in Doongdoongie and nodded. “Ask her for a date.” His eyes widened. “I’ll do it for you if you’re nervous. Or, if you tell her you like her and you don’t get a good response, just tell her it was your brother trying to prank you. That’s the advantage of having a brother. You can blame shit on me.”

“I’ll text her,” he said. “I want to sleep here tonight. Just in case I need you again.”

“You can have the sofa for the night,” I said. “Now, let’s all watch Toy Story 4!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so busy with homework, I almost didn't get to post this!  
> I hope everyone told Harin 새일 축하해요! I wish there was more of him in this chapter since it's his birthday and all.  
> Also, yay, soft twin times!


	26. Chapter 26

^o^-> CyA

I woke up with twins in my bed. Sounds like the ideal male fantasy. It’s not mine. I was being pushed to the edge of my side of the bed by the Dong-Dongs. They fell asleep together, waiting for Dongju’s crush to text him back. I heard the Kakao alert on his phone in the wee hours of the morning. The twins slept through it. I thought Dongju was planning on sleeping on the sofa, but he wandered in late in the night and woke Dongmyeong and me. At least we were wearing clothes this time. We may not always be so lucky.

I turned onto my side and placed my left hand gently on Dongmyeong’s arm. “Myeong-ah,” I whispered. “I’m going to fall off. Dongmyeong-ah.” My boyfriend stirred, let go of his brother, and looked at me with one eye open. “You guys are pushing me out of the bed.”

“Mmm,” Dongmyeong groaned. “What time is it?”

“Like four in the morning,” I said. “I heard Dongju-yah’s phone an hour or so ago. I think he got a response from the girl.” Dongmyeong reached around to the back of my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. “Okay. Now wake your brother.”

“Hmph,” he grunted. “Ju-yah, Giwookie says your phone went off. And that we’re pushing him out of bed.”

“Sorry, Wook-ah,” Dongju mumbled. He sat up on the edge of the bed and Dongmyeong moved over so I’d have a little more room. “Oh… What was I supposed to say if I got a bad response?”

“What did she say?” Dongmyeong asked, sitting up and putting his hand on Dongju’s back.

“She said, ‘You’re cute, but I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now.’ I don’t know what to say back.” I heard him whimper. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into asking her out.”

“It’s not my fault you have a crush,” Dongmyeong said. “We’re accountable for our own actions. We are adults, Ju-yah. Tell her it was me. I got my hands on your phone and asked her out for you, without your permission.”

“We are accountable for our own actions,” Dongju said.

“What?”

“That’s what you just said, and then you told me to lie and blame it on you.” He sighed and stood up, holding Doongdoongie under his arm. “I’m going to the sofa, and I’m telling her the truth.” He left the room and we heard him flop onto the living room sofa shortly after.

“And that’s my grown-up little brother,” Dongmyeong said, lying back and tucking himself deeper under the blankets. I reached across with my left hand, softly laying my palm on his jaw, rubbing his cheek with my thumb. “He’s only a minute younger, but we’re  _ so _ different.” He turned his head to look at me in the dim glow of the nightlight. “You’re two weeks younger, but you feel older than me sometimes.”

“Like when?” I whispered.

“When you stood up to Jinseo for me,” he said. “When you top me. Whenever I ask you for anything because you’re taller than me and I have to look up to meet your eyes. Right now. Oh, but you were definitely younger when you were complaining about falling off the bed. And you’re younger when you bottom.” I snorted. “You are. Because you make me take care of you after.”

“I don’t  _ make _ you,” I argued. “You just love me that much.”

“I love you too much.” He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. “Go back to sleep. I’m tired.”

“Okay. Love you more, Myeong-ah.”

“That’s impossible.” He rolled over and pressed his back to my chest.

_ That’s what you think. _

Three weeks left until court. Just shy of a month left until the comeback. It was weird timing, but it wouldn’t be pushed back unless absolutely necessary. Entertainment companies don’t like changing their predetermined comeback schedules. 

We woke again at a less ridiculous hour. Dongju had already left. He stuck a note on the refrigerator thanking us for being there for him and apologizing for having to leave early for practice. I think the apology was for Dongmyeong, who I know wanted to find out how things went as the conversation with Jiyoung continued.

I dressed in one of my nicer, more professional outfits. Dongmyeong and I had a meeting with the legal department. He met me at the door when I was ready to go. “Oh, jagiya, you look fancy,” he flirted, unbuttoning my shirt. “You buttoned yourself wrong though. Your shirt’s uneven.”

“I’m nervous,” I said, trying to defend my failed buttons while Dongmyeong fixed me up. “I don’t know what they’re calling us in for.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing bad. If it was, we would have been summoned immediately instead of scheduled out.” He finished fixing my buttons and ran his hands down my chest, smoothing out the fabric. “I like this shirt on you.” I smiled and took his hand, leading him to the elevator and out onto the street below.

The legal department is full of well-dressed men and women who literally went to college for a degree in writing rules and arguing about stuff. We were greeted by a woman behind a desk, wearing a telephone headset. I gave a small bow of acknowledgment. “Son Dongmyeong and Lee Giwook. We have a meeting. Is it about our contracts?” I fretted.

“Let’s see.” The woman typed something on her computer. “Mmm, no. Looks like it’s about assault charges? Are you two in massive trouble?”

“No! No, no, not us!” Dongmyeong blurted. “My ex hit Giwook-ah a while ago.”

“Oh.” She tilted her glasses down on the end of her nose and looked up at us. “I read about that,” she said, her voice low. “So it’s really true, then. I’m not one of the lawyers. I’m just the office manager. They don’t tell me stuff like that.”

“Honestly, he barely touched me,” I bragged. “Just a black eye and a bloody nose. I didn’t even feel it.”

“You were crying on the ground,” Dongmyeong said. 

We met with a lawyer who was handling everything for us regarding the so-called incident with Jinseo. He took us in and we sat across from him at his desk. It was littered with paperwork and pictures of his kids. No photos of a wife though. He picked up one of the papers, creased from being stuffed inside an envelope. “I have good news for you,” he said. “Baek Jinseo was served the charges against him, as well as the evidence. He knows about the photos of your face after the incident, and he knows there is CCTV footage of you not fighting back.” He sighed, lowering the letter to his desk. “Baek Jinseo is not stupid enough to contest solid evidence in court. He admitted to fault and accepted his charges.”

“And all of this means what, exactly?” Dongmyeong asked. 

“You won’t have to go to court,” the lawyer replied. “He’ll serve a year in prison. He has to write to you and formally apologize. That’s the way the law works here. It’s almost like he’s trying to save your reputation. Baek Jinseo had nothing to lose. He would have gone to prison either way.”

“So…” I murmured. “So, what? That’s it?”

“That’s it. The verdict will be reported. Chances are, the public will forget about everything by the time you release your comeback.” The lawyer adjusted in his seat. “You can go after you sign this acknowledgment. We need proof that you’ve been informed of all this.”

The woman at the front desk winked at me as we left, and Dongmyeong gripped my arm, ushering me out of the office.

We held hands on the way home, feeling generally very weird. It was an anticlimactic end to a pretty wild ride. While we waited for the traffic light to change, Dongmyeong wiggled my hand, asking for attention. I looked at him. “Yeah, Myeong-ah?”

“Do you feel okay about everything?” he asked. “I mean, it was your face.”

“I feel okay about that,” I said. “I still hate that there’s nothing we can do about the abuse you suffered from him.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m just excited to get to see him locked up. I wouldn’t care if it had nothing to do with me at all.” We started crossing the street, moving at a brisk pace. “Why were you acting tough for the office manager?”

“Her?” I glanced at Dongmyeong as we turned onto the block where I had my ass whooped. “I wasn’t.”

“You were. She was pretty.” He pouted. Okay, so maybe I  _ was  _ acting tough, and maybe it  _ was  _ because she was pretty. She was too old for me anyway. 

“Idols are expected to be flirty,” I said.

“You  _ liked  _ her!” Dongmyeong accused, dropping my hand.

“Myeong-ah,” I groaned, exasperated by his sudden outburst. “She is way too old for me, she works in the company’s legal department, and no woman is stealing me away from you. It’s just not happening.” Dongmyeong walked beside me, arms folded over his chest, still pouting. “What can I do, nae sarang?”

“Prove it,” he mumbled.

“How do I prove that?” I laughed.

“I don’t know. Figure it out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday! Fuckin' gross. The weather is beautiful though. I even opened the windows in my apartment.  
> More importantly, it's Myeongluvr's birthday too!
> 
> Story-specific notes: I learned from a friend that that really is how it works sometimes. Someone can be served the evidence against them and choose to admit it, in which case they get judged without trial. Pretty streamlined, if you ask me. I am close to the point where I want to wrap this up. (Please don't be sad.) I promise to write more stories, and they can even exist in the same universe as this one if you guys want, so you still get cutie MyeongWook. We'll probably go to chapter 30 with this. What would you like to read about next?


	27. Chapter 27

Dongmyeong ~*~

I didn’t think I was overreacting, but Giwook argued his point all the way up the elevator. He said we were in a committed relationship. But if that’s the case,  _ why  _ does he think it’s okay to go and flirt with women with me right there on his arm? Oof, take it down a notch, Dongmyeong. Now it really is starting to sound like an overreaction.

Anyway, we were still arguing about it when we stepped inside the apartment. I kept telling him to prove it. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll prove it. I swear I will. And then won’t you feel silly?” Our hyungs gave us questioning looks.

“So,” Yonghoon began, clearing his throat, “how was the meeting?”

“Weird,” I said. “Jinseo admitted to his charges. He’s going to prison for a year.”

“That’s great!” Hyungu blurted. “You don’t have a court date anymore?”

“That’s right,” I replied. “We can just focus on the comeback now. And Giwook-ah can focus on flirting with women in offices.”

“Myeong-ah, are you kidding me right now?” Giwook groaned. “We’ve been beating this to death for most of the walk home.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Does anybody want to go out with me? I need to clear my head.”

“You need to flirt with more girls,” I grumbled.

“Oh my God, Dongmyeong!” He let out an enormous sigh, blowing his bangs up off his forehead. “Please, anybody. Hyung, take a walk with me. I don’t care which one of you follows me out the door right now, but I’m going.” Hyungu scrambled to his feet, slipped on a pair of shoes, and followed Giwook to the elevator.

I grabbed a box of leftover takeout from the night before and peeked inside. Stir-fried noodles, fridge cold. They smelled like garlic and gochugaru and a sweetened soy sauce. I hopped up onto the kitchen counter and dug in, not bothering to reheat them first. “Dongmyeong-ah,” Harin said, leaning back against the counter next to me. There was caution in his tone like he was afraid he’d make me angry, but it was accompanied by an almost paternal sternness. “Tell us what’s going on.” Yonghoon joined us, standing in front of me with his hands on his hips. I glanced between them, sucked a noodle into my mouth, and took a deep breath.

“When we went for our meeting,” I began, “the first person we talked to was a woman behind a desk in the main lobby of the legal department.” I took another bite of noodles. “She was pretty and young. She called herself the office manager. Like that makes her so fucking special.” I felt myself pouting, so I straightened my back, lifted my chin, and continued. “Giwook-ah bragged about how he totally didn’t even feel it when Jinseo hit him, but I was  _ there  _ that day. I watched him collapse to the ground and beg me to make his face stop hurting. I held him and tried to comfort him while he bled and cried on the sidewalk. He’s so full of shit. And then she winked at him on the way out and he smiled and I just…” I trailed off. “Having a non-gay boyfriend is really hard. He said he was just doing what idols do, being flirty. He said she was too old for him anyway. Whatever.”

“Maybe, and this is just a suggestion,” Harin said, “but maybe you should stop being such a jealous butthead.” I glared at him and he laughed. “You sound like my high school girlfriend, Dongmyeong-ah. She didn’t like me looking at other girls, let alone talking to them. There’s nothing wrong with being a little jealous, I think, but don’t go overboard. You’ll drive him away.”

“I’m not going overboard!” I whined. “Where do you think he and Hyungu-hyung went?”

“Cafe?” Yonghoon shrugged. “You guys spend almost every waking moment together. This is normal. Just spend a few hours apart and cool down. If you’re trying to do this for the rest of your life, you have to learn how to argue, chill, and apologize. That’s the process, right? Argue, chill, apologize. Couples that don’t do that, don’t last very long. Don’t worry about where he is right now. Just spend some time here with us. Maybe we can get Dongju-yah to come over and we’ll all watch a movie or something. You guys love movies.”

“We could make a crepe cake!” Harin said. I stared at him. “What? It sounds like fun. I want to try.”

“I can’t make crepes, hyung,” I said.

“That’s fine. I’ll make them, you stack them.” He turned around and dug through a cupboard, searching for a pan to make crepes in. “We could make a coffee-flavored filling to put between the layers.” He pulled out a wide, flat skillet and placed it on the stove, turning on the gas burner beneath it. “Go get your brother. I’ll start making crepes.”

I swung my legs forward and hopped off the counter, planting my feet firmly on the floor. I tossed my empty takeout container in the trash before crossing the hall in three big strides and ringing the bell outside ONEUS’ apartment. Seoho let me in. “I see you guys decided to come home for lunch,” I said. “I need Ju-yah.”

“What do you need me for?” Dongju asked, eyeing me suspiciously over his lunch.

“Giwook-ah and I are mad at each other,” I explained, “so he’s gone out for a walk or something, and Harin-hyung wants us to help him make a crepe cake, I guess.”

“Making a cake is a weird way to cope with a lover’s quarrel,” Youngjo commented.

“It’s not my idea,” I said. “So, are you coming over to help?”

“Let me finish eating,” Dongju said. “Does someone in your apartment know how to make crepes? Because every time I try, I get wrinkly pancakes.”

“Harin knows.” I turned around to go back to my own apartment. “See you in a little while, Ju-yah!” I threw over my shoulder. 

When I returned to the apartment, Harin was stirring the batter for his crepes. “Hey, where’s Dongju-yah?” he asked.

“Eating lunch. He’ll be over soon.” I peered over his shoulder. “That’s really thin batter.”

“Well, duh. They’re not pancakes. Here.” Harin handed me the whisk. “Stir that.” I took the whisk from his hand and tried to match the pace he was moving at before I took over. “When there are no more lumps, we can pour it on the skillet. I’ll teach you how to make crepes that don’t suck.” He held his palm above the skillet on the stove. “It’s hot and ready whenever you are.” 

When I thought I had the batter smooth, I showed it to Harin. He nodded and took the bowl from my hands. The doorbell rang. It was Dongju. I let him in and we both stood near Harin, watching a master at work. He poured a bit of batter onto the skillet. It hissed, and he immediately picked it up by the handle and worked the puddle of batter around in a circle, coating the surface. He flipped the crepe, let it cook briefly on the other side, and plopped it onto a plate. “Your turn,” he said. “Which twin is going first?”

“How about the one who’s been going first since birth?” Dongju suggested, nudging me forward. 

My first attempt ended with a big tear in the crepe. “That’s okay!” Harin said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “It still tastes the same. Hyung!” Yonghoon joined us. “Eat this. It’s ripped, so it can’t go in the cake.” Yonghoon happily gobbled up my botched crepe. 

“I think I’ll just stand here and wait for more of those,” he said, looming behind the three of us. 

I poured more batter. This time, Harin put his hand over mine and guided me so the batter would spread evenly. “Good job,” he said, letting go. “Flip it.” I did. Success! “All right! Yonghoon doesn’t get this one.” We moved it to the plate, placing it on top of Harin’s perfect first crepe.

“Ju-yah, what happened with that Jiyoung girl?” I asked, pouring another puddle of batter.

“Oh,” my brother sighed. “We talked for a while this morning. She’s eighteen. I didn’t even know she was younger than me. When I told her that, she said we at least needed to take more time to get to know each other before she could even consider going out with me.” I completed another crepe, flopping it onto the growing stack on the plate. “I took that to mean that there’s hope.”

“Of course there is!” Yonghoon said, clamping his hands down on Dongju’s shoulders. “You’re a good guy. She’d be lucky to have you.” I started making another crepe. “In the meantime, just be a good friend. That’s all you can do.”

“Can I make the next one?” Dongju asked as I flipped another successful crepe. I nodded and draped my crepe on top of the others, then handed over control to my brother. “Harin, a little help?”

“Yeah,” Harin said, moving to Dongju’s side. “You don’t want to pour too much because you’ll get a wrinkly pancake.”

“So  _ that’s  _ my problem!” Dongju blurted. I laughed.

“But you don’t want too little or it will burn,” Harin went on. “So that’s why we’re using this ladle. It’s the perfect size. Just fill it to the top and pour it on the skillet. Grab the handle, move it around to spread the batter, and then flip it with the spatula and your hand. It’s not too hot, I promise.”

Dongju’s first crepe looked a lot like my first. It had a big hole and a few wrinkles. “Yonghoon, hyung?” he said with an embarrassed laugh. “I believe this is yours.”

“Hell yes!” Yonghoon cheered. He stuffed the crepe in his mouth. “Harin has a great recipe for crepes. These are good without any toppings.”

After a few minutes of taking turns, we had enough crepes for a cake. “While we let these cool, let’s make the filling. Yonghoon-hyung probably could have been doing this while we were making the crepes, but this is also fine.” Harin fetched whipping cream, cream cheese, and instant coffee powder. “Dongju-yah, you like stirring things,” he said, pouring cream into a bowl. “Whip this until it’s fluffy. We want soft peaks. It should stick up and then flop over, okay?”

“Okay, hyung,” Dongju said, taking the bowl and whisk. 

“I really feel like this is a much better idea than having me try to make filling by myself while you guys worked on the crepes,” Yonghoon said. “What are we doing with coffee powder?”

“Coffee crepe cake,” Harin said. “We need coffee for that.”

“And cream cheese?” I asked.

“It makes the filling denser and adds flavor,” Harin explained. “It’s like none of you have ever made anything from scratch before. Good God.”

When Dongju had soft peaks, we folded in the cream cheese and a measured amount of coffee powder. Then, layer by layer, we built the crepe cake. Harin took the remaining creamy fluff and used it to cover the outside of the cake. “Looks pretty good,” I said. “Smells even better.”

“Do we save some as a peace offering for your boyfriend?” Yonghoon asked.

“I guess,” I sighed.

Harin proudly took a photo of our cake, and then we took a selca. “This is going on the band Instagram,” he said. “We should show off all our hard work.”

We cut the cake into slices, tossing two of them in the refrigerator for when Hyungu and Giwook returned, and started eating. While we ate, I explained everything to Dongju. You’ll never believe this, but  _ he  _ thought I was overreacting too. My own brother. 

The crepe cake was delicious, by the way. Harin was entirely right about the cream cheese. I almost wanted to eat the whole thing by myself. But it was all so rich, I don’t think I could have if I tried.

Dongju left after he finished his slice. He had to get back to the company and meet up with his members to continue practicing. They left without him after they finished lunch! 

A few hours after my brother left, my boyfriend returned. He held a bag from the convenience store. Hyungu trailed behind him, carrying all sorts of shopping bags. I looked at him questioningly. “Amanda’s birthday is coming up,” he mumbled, slipping his shoes off and shuffling to the hyungs’ bedroom with his armfuls of packages.

“We made crepe cake,” I announced, taking a slice out of the fridge and setting it on the counter for Giwook. “Harin taught me to make crepes that don’t suck.”

“Good for you,” Giwook said, a small smile crossing his face. “I brought you something.” He handed over the bag from the convenience store. “Everything in there is yours, nae sarang.” He picked up a fork and dug into the cake. “This is really good. Did you guys put coffee in this?” That, of course, was Harin’s cue to tell Giwook the entire crepe cake process, in detail. 

I opened the bag in my hands and dug through it. He bought me honey butter chips, Pepero sticks, Binch cookies, and a kimchi ramen bowl. Thoughtful and sweet, as always. 

Why is it so hard to be mad at him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally made myself hungry writing this chapter.  
> Happy birthday to my birthday neighbor/devoted reader SunriseSeaMonster! I hope they're having a great day.


	28. Chapter 28

^o^-> CyA

While Dongmyeong pouted and made crepe cake with Harin and Dongju, Hyungu and I strolled along the street outside the apartment. “He is just so… jealous!” I complained. “What I did could hardly be considered flirting. And I barely even looked at her! She must have been ten years older than us.” I kicked a pebble and it skipped across the sidewalk, careening into the street and landing against the curb. “I told him I’m committed and he said to prove it? What does that even mean? What am I supposed to do? How do you prove commitment?”

“Some people get married,” Hyungu said. “I mean, I know you guys can’t.”

“Right.” I sighed, walking a bit farther. We paused at the corner, waiting to cross the street. “I can do the next best thing though.”

“What’s the next best thing?” Hyungu asked. “I feel like I’m missing something here, Giwook-ah.” We crossed the street, heading for the same stretch of shops where I bought Dongmyeong’s Christmas presents.

There was a coffee shop on the same street, and I led Hyungu inside. We ordered coffee and sandwiches and dropped into a pair of chairs at a table tucked into a corner. I took a little time to settle down and stop being quite so upset. I wanted to focus on how I was going to prove to Dongmyeong that I really was in love.  _ He wants to honeymoon in a blanket fort, _ my brain reminded me.

We idled there for a little over an hour. After our first cups of coffee, we each had a second. And after that, we had cold-pressed apple juice. When I had my thoughts in order, we left the cafe.

I led Hyungu into one of the shops next, a place that specialized in decor. “What are we shopping for?” 

“Fairy lights,” I said. “Lots of them. Tiny twinkly ones.”

“Have you lost your mind?” he laughed.

“Nope.” I found what I was looking for - battery-powered warm white fairy lights on copper wire - and grabbed two boxes of them. I also picked out a new blanket. It had purposely frayed edges and a rainbow tie-dye pattern. I found a few plush throw pillows and added those to the stack.

“What are you doing?” Hyungu asked. “You’re not buying things to move out. We can’t let you. And I think there’s something against it in our contract, but I’m not Harin, so I don’t know for sure.”

“I’m not trying to move out,” I said. I paid for my purchases and we moved on. I checked my bank balance on my phone before leading Hyungu into our next stop: a jewelry store.

“Giwook-ah, I’m scared,” Hyungu said, trailing behind me with two of the bags from the decor store. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Proving it,” I said, swallowing hard. I took a deep breath and approached the jewelry counter.  _ I am not embarrassed to have a boyfriend.  _ “Hi!” I greeted the saleswoman. “I’m looking for a ring. It’s a surprise for my boyfriend.”

“Oh!” she said, seeming a bit surprised. She looked carefully at my face, no longer marred by a black eye. “Oh, you’re one of the K-pop guys, aren’t you?” I nodded. “Cool. Okay. Why don’t you tell me about his personal style?”

“Simple, understated…” I paused. “Maybe even a little dainty. He favors silver tones.” 

I shifted my weight between my feet nervously while the saleswoman pulled out a few things she thought Dongmyeong would like. She drew out a few rings, placing them gently on the counter in front of me. There was a plain, matte silver band, a shiny silver one with a clear red stripe around its circumference, and one with a gently curved diagonal line of six tiny diamonds studding it. “Are any of these catching your eye?” she asked. “Obviously the matte band is the simplest one. The red one may be a little too bold, but it comes in other colors if you like it. And I grabbed the diamond one because it’s dainty. Or, you could do a birthstone. That’s pretty popular. Very western-style.” I had already ruled out the matte ring. That left the artsy striped one, or the dainty diamond ring.  _ Most people use diamonds for this sort of thing. _ I turned around, handing the bag with the fairy lights to Hyungu. He was still looking at me like I was entirely batshit crazy.

“We were both born in January,” I said, a little hesitantly. Most people do use diamonds for this, but diamonds are expensive.

“That’s garnet,” the woman said with a nod. “We have the same design with garnets instead of diamonds. Do you want to see?”

“Please.” She put the first three rings away and brought out a new one. It was just like the one with the diamonds, but they were replaced by dark, almost blood-red stones. The way they caught the light was beautiful. They seemed to draw it in and reflect it in a way that made all light look like flames. She told me the price. I winced almost imperceptibly, already feeling the sting in my bank account. I nodded and asked for that ring exactly, in Dongmyeong’s size. By pure luck, or fate, or something, she had one in stock for me.

As we left, I guarded that ring like the stones were made of  _ my  _ blood.

“Okay, now it looks like you’re trying to get engaged,” Hyungu said. 

“I am,” I replied. 

“What the ever-loving  _ fuck  _ are you talking about?” he blurted, stopping in his tracks. I turned around to look at my hyung. “You can’t do that. It’s illegal.”

“Marriage, yes,” I conceded. “It’s not illegal for me to ask, or for him to accept. It’s not illegal for us to wait for the law to change.”

“You’ve been together for how long? Six months?”

“Romantically.” I sighed, dropping my shoulders. “I’ve known since we met that I’d spend my life with him in one way or another. When we were friends, I thought we would be best friends forever and live next door to each other when we grew up. Maybe our kids could have playdates while we watched basketball on TV and sipped beer. Well, maybe not Myeong-ah. He hates beer.” I chuckled. “When he joined the band, I thought maybe that was it. We would be together forever because of music. And then we kissed and something happened to my heart and it never stops, hyung.” I bit my lip. “It’s like butterflies, but they’re on fire and they have claws and teeth. But it feels so good. So,  _ so  _ good. Love is the one thing in life that doesn’t hurt. He’s like a salve, a balm for all of life’s little psychological injuries. I’m keeping this in my heart for as long as I have air to breathe.” 

We stood silently on the sidewalk while Hyungu stared at me. He approached and I tucked the ring box in among the throw pillows. “What can I do to help?” he finally asked.

“I want it to be a surprise,” I said as we continued walking. “Can you carry everything into the apartment and hide it in your room?”

“Why do you need a blanket and pillows to propose?”

“I’ll explain it all tomorrow when I build it.” I tapped my finger on my chin. “You might have to tell a little white lie to get everything inside. Say it’s for Amanda’s birthday.”

“Her birthday is in August,” he said. “It’s like, a day after Yonghoon-hyung’s birthday.”

I rolled my eyes. “So lie about that too.”

“I’m a shitty liar, Giwook-ah,” Hyungu complained.

“We’re going to the convenience store,” I announced, ignoring him.

“Why? Giwook-ah, I can’t drag all of this into a convenience store!”

“Okay. Is there anything you want me to get for you while I’m in there?” I asked.

“No! Why are we going to a convenience store?” Hyungu stomped his feet. I hadn’t seen him so frustrated in a very long time. “You’re not making sense!”

“A peace offering,” I said. “I’m getting treats so he won’t make me sleep on the sofa tonight.”

Hyungu stopped again. “You’re so weird,” he said. “So fucking weird.” Then he scurried along behind, trying to catch up.

That night, before bed, I went to the hyungs’ room. “I need your help, guys,” I whispered. “Keep your voices down. I don’t want Dongmyeong-ah to hear.”

“Are we conspiring?” Yonghoon asked, his eyes lighting up. “This is so exciting!”

I snorted. “Cute, hyung. We are conspiring. Now listen.” I pointed to the shopping bags Hyungu had carried in. “That stuff is not for Amanda. It’s for Myeong-ah.” I dug the ring box out of the bag of pillows and lifted its lid. The hinge snapped open easily, revealing the small garnet-laden ring glittering inside. “I need one person to stay behind and help me build a blanket fort. One of you can distract him. And I want one of you to gather ONEUS. Don’t tell them why. I’m asking him something crazy tomorrow.”

“Holy shit,” Yonghoon breathed. He was grinning from ear to ear. “Why do you need a blanket fort?”

“He wants to honeymoon in one,” I said. I closed the ring box and tucked it back in among the pillows. “In case that never happens, I want us to still have something special happen in one. I’ll propose in the blanket fort.”

“Do… we all fit in this blanket fort?” Harin asked. “If not, what is the point of bringing everyone over?”

“I didn’t think of that.” I sighed. “Okay, new plan. I propose  _ outside  _ the fort, and then we go inside to cuddle and watch a movie or something.”

“How do you watch a movie in a blanket fort?” Hyungu asked, almost laughing.

“The TV goes inside the blanket fort,” I explained. “You know what? Don’t worry about it. I’m building a blanket fort and proposing to my boyfriend. I’ll figure out the fine details when I’m in front of him.”

“MyeongWook, fighting!” Harin whispered, giving a little fist pump. “I’ll help build your fort. I’m like a big kid. We’re good at that.”

“I got Dongmyeong-ah,” Yonghoon said. “Hyungu can bring ONEUS.”

“I’m the worst liar in the band!” Hyungu complained. “I can’t keep it a surprise from Dongju-yah.”

“You can do it,” I said. “You had everyone convinced all these bags were for Amanda.”

“We want to celebrate our comeback before we’re too busy to do so,” Harin whispered, nudging Hyungu. “That’s an easy little lie.”

“Fine,” Hyungu said, giving in. “So we’re a team now?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“I hope he says yes,” Yonghoon whispered.

I swallowed. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drops chapter and runs*


	29. Chapter 29

Dongmyeong ~*~

It was midmorning when someone booped me on the nose  _ several  _ times. “Giwook-ah,” I groaned. I turned over and pressed my face into Giwook’s back. Wait… that means it wasn’t him touching my face. I shot up to a seated position faster than I even realized I could move, finding Yonghoon chuckling softly beside our bed. “Hyung?” I rubbed my eyes and stared at him.

“Dongmyeong-ah!” Yonghoon spread his arms out wide. “When’s the last time we did anything together? Just you and me?”

“Um… It’s been a while, I guess?” I ran my fingers through my sleep-messed hair. “What do you want to do?”

“Get up and shower,” he said. “Let’s go out for breakfast and do a little shopping. I have a pair of boots that are on their last legs and I could also use some new jeans. You have a good eye for stuff like that. And like, really unique clothes. I only wish I had your fashion sense. Get up, come on!”

I pulled my legs out from under the blankets and swung them over the side of the bed. I stood up and stretched, and then turned around to my sleeping boyfriend. Careful not to wake him, I tucked the blanket close to his body so he wouldn’t miss my warmth too much. “You owe me,” I said, pointing my finger centimeters from Yonghoon’s nose.

He grinned and clapped his hands. “I’ll meet you in the living room!”

I peeled off the t-shirt and shorts I had worn to bed and turned on the shower. The bathroom filled up with steam. I stepped into the stream of water, letting it drip down my face. Fighting with Giwook the previous day had left me aching somewhere deep and all I  _ really _ wanted to do was stay in bed, holding him and trying to make up for being the biggest ass on the planet. Settling for keeping his smell with me all day, I used his shampoo. I was used to smelling like vanilla and roses, so the fresh tea tree and sandalwood mix was entirely different from the norm. I weighed the shampoo bottle in my hand. He had enough left for maybe three more washes, and I made a mental note to pick some up for him while I was out with Yonghoon.

I wrapped a towel around my waist, brushed my teeth, and did my short skincare routine. I tiptoed across the hall to the bedroom and dug through the drawers for a simple outfit, just jeans and my pride t-shirt from Amanda. Giwook had the same one. When I was dressed, I bent over his side of the bed and brushed his hair out of his face. “Jagiya,” I whispered. He sighed, nuzzling his face into his pillow. I smiled. “I’m going out with Yonghoon-hyung for a while, okay? We’ll be home in a few hours.” I planted a kiss on his cheek. “I love you.” His face scrunched up and he groaned a response. I straightened up and headed for the door. I paused in our doorway. “Text me if you get lonely.”

“Took you long enough!” Yonghoon complained as I entered the living room. “Would it have made a difference if I said I’m paying for your meal? Would you have moved a little faster? Come on, let’s go!”

There were times when Yonghoon reminded me of a cat. Other times, he was more like a labrador. This was one of the latter. I crossed my arms over my chest. “Should I put a leash on you, hyung?” I asked. “Does Yonghoonie-hyung need to go outside and potty?”

“Not funny,” he grumbled. “Put your shoes on.”

Yonghoon dragged me to a restaurant he said he’d been to several times with Youngjo. I sat across from him in a booth, sipping seolleongtang from my wide spoon. The ox bone broth was perfect, just salty enough. Chunks of Chinese leeks swam around thick pieces of beef, catching themselves on long noodles. “Okay, I totally see why you come here,” I said as I picked up my chopsticks. I pulled out a tangle of noodles and slurped them into my mouth. “You know,” I said as I swallowed, “you were so eager to get me to leave the apartment. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you just wanted me out of there for a while.”

“Why would I do that?” Yonghoon laughed. “You’ve been watching too many movies, Dongmyeong-ah. You think everyone is conspiring.”

“No, I don’t.” I had a piece of beef. It was so tender, it nearly melted in my mouth. “Seriously, this place is amazing. Why haven’t I been in here before?”

“Dunno.” He shrugged and tilted his head. “Did you and Giwookie make up?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I was still mad last night, but we slept together anyway. And then this morning I just felt bad about everything.” I stared into my soup. “I don’t know if I’ve forgiven him for flirting with her, or if I’m just mad at myself for being a jerk about it.” I frowned. “He was at least partially awake when we left, but he didn’t get up or say anything to me. So maybe Giwook-ah is still mad.”

“He’s so completely whipped for you, I doubt it,” Yonghoon laughed. “He’s probably just tired. It’s hard work, getting ready for a comeback.”

“I guess, but he was so mad yesterday. He couldn’t even look at me until he and Hyungu-hyung came home.” I rested my chin in my hand and dragged my spoon through my soup. 

“Hey, no moping,” Yonghoon scolded me. “Eat your soup.” I scooped some white rice into my spoon, dipped it in the broth, and ate it. “I can’t even imagine having anything like what you guys have now. You guys are, as the kids say, couple goals.”

It’s a good thing I didn’t have a mouthful of soup when he said that, because I laughed so hard, other people in the restaurant started staring. Embarrassed, I nodded at the other patrons, mumbling, “Excuse me.” I returned my attention to Yonghoon, who was equally red-faced. “You know that’s why we call you an old man, right?”

“I’m learning to embrace it,” he said. “Also, I’m really glad you’re laughing. I can’t stand a mopey personal stylist.”

We finished our breakfast and wandered out to a park to let it digest for a while. I sat next to him on a stone bench under a crop of trees, turning my couple ring around my finger. It had become my fidget since Christmas. It was comforting. It was my reminder that even if the whole world fell apart around me, I still had Giwook.”He’s not whipped for me,” I mumbled.

“Hmm?” Yonghoon stopped watching the people go by and stared straight at me. “What did you say?”

“I said he’s not whipped,” I repeated. “Giwook-ah, I mean. He’s not whipped for me. He’s just… better than I deserve.” I kept playing with my ring. “He looks at me like I’m the only boy in the world.” Yonghoon wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “He always seems like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be than wherever I am. And I repay him by getting jealous and making him angry. And now I’m afraid I ruined everything.” I slipped the ring off my finger. “I should let someone who deserves him have him.”

“Put your ring back on, pabo!” Yonghoon cried. He shook my shoulders. “That’s the abuse talking. You deserve him. He wouldn’t treat you the way he does if you didn’t deserve it. I haven’t seen either of you take those rings off since Christmas.” I curled my fingers around the ring in my palm, letting my nails dig into my skin, trying not to cry in a park in front of dozens of people. “Oh my God, Dongmyeong-ah, no. I have nothing but confidence in you guys. Put your ring back on.” He sighed and uncurled my fingers for me. He lifted my ring out of my hand and put it back on my finger. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but when Giwook-ah came to our room last night, he talked to Hyungu and Harin and me about how he wants to prove that he loves you.” I glanced up at my hyung’s face. “You are worthy of him. He wouldn’t be with you otherwise.”

“Let’s get your shopping done,” I said softly, turning my eyes back to the ring on my finger.

“Yeah, fine. As long as you keep that fucking ring on.” Yonghoon let go of my shoulders and stood, heading for the park’s exit. I followed. “Hey, I forget,” he said when I caught up, “what did I say I needed?”

“Boots and jeans,” I replied.

“Right, right.” Yonghoon kept his gaze fixed straight ahead as we walked.

“You’re sure this wasn’t a ploy to get me out of the apartment?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. No tricks, Dongmyeong-ah. I promise.” I eyed him suspiciously. “Shoe store first,” he said. “Let’s figure out my boot situation. I think I should get a pair of Doc Martens this time. I know my previous pair lasted for years. I actually outgrew them before they could wear out!” He laughed. “I thought after I stopped growing, I’d get new ones. I just never made the time to do it.”

“Well, try not to pick a pair with any kind of heel or platform,” I said. “I already look short enough next to the rest of you.”

“So, we’ll just get you some shoes with heels or platforms,” he shrugged. “Or you can learn to embrace your height, like Hwanwoong-ah.”

“Being short suits him,” I said. “He’s adorable.”

“You’re adorable too.” We dropped into a shoe store and Yonghoon made a beeline for men’s boots. “Do you think they even have my size? I have giant feet.”

“You know what they say about big feet,” I said before I could stop myself. I covered my mouth with my hand and blushed.

“Big shoes, yeah, I know,” Yonghoon said, barely paying me any attention. “Do you like these? They’re just a little bit shiny and they don’t have much lift, so they won’t make me too much taller than I already am.”

Yonghoon spent an hour perusing the boots, looking at some in excruciating detail, only to circle back to that first pair he liked. I didn’t think he needed much help from me. I mean, for the most part, boots are boots. Unless you want a really specific look, just get a pair of boots and shut up. It wasn’t like he was trying for some crazy studded goth boots with ten-centimeter platforms. Hmm… but maybe I’d go for a pair like that one day.

We moved on to a clothing store. I ended up sitting in a chair outside the fitting room, passing or failing various outfits. It felt like one of those shallow dating apps. Swipe left! Hate those pants! Swipe right! That’s an amazing jacket! We came out with three new pairs of jeans and a leather jacket that looked badass with his new boots. “I wanted more of a vintage look, but I think this is doable,” Yonghoon said, gesturing at his shopping bags. 

“If you want real vintage, go to a vintage store,” I said. “I’ve got about half a dozen pieces I picked up at a vintage store in Hongdae.”

“I’m not going all the way to Hongdae.” Yonghoon waved his hand dismissively. “Do you need anything before we go home?”

“I was going to get a new bottle of shampoo for Giwook-ah,” I said. “He’s running low.”

“Aww, what a good boyfriend you are,” he cooed, winking at me. “To the mart, then?”

“To the mart!” I confirmed.

I picked up a new bottle of Giwook’s shampoo, then wandered through the snacks for a moment. He always brought me treats. I thought I could return the favor. I grabbed a box of banana cream Choco Pies because I knew Giwook would be interested in trying them, paid for my items, and Yonghoon and I started on our way home. I couldn’t figure out why Giwook liked his shampoo so much. My hair felt dried up all day. Maybe I was just used to my products.

We stepped through the door to the apartment and I immediately noticed how crowded it was. My brother and all of his members were there, standing around in the living room and kitchen. Hyungu and Harin stood opposite ONEUS. Yonghoon moved to join them. And Giwook was right in the middle, in front of a pretty elaborate blanket fort. He stepped forward and met my eyes. “Myeong-ah, nae sarang,” he said softly. “We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. Please do not hurt me.
> 
> OMG that MV!
> 
> Also, I am technically at work right now. Writing on college time! Woo!


	30. Chapter 30

^o^-> CyA

I sprang out of bed the moment I heard Yonghoon and Dongmyeong leave. Still in my oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, I dragged the heavy comforter from our bed out to the living room. I spread that out on the floor and scampered into the hyungs’ bedroom for my bags from the day before. “Hey!” Hyungu greeted me. “You’re getting started already?”

“I don’t know how long Yonghoon-hyung can keep him busy,” I explained. “We should work fast. Wake Harin-hyung for me.” With one shopping bag in each hand and the bag of fairy lights dangling from my mouth, I waddled back to the living room. I still needed so many things. I needed chairs, at least one stool, some books… maybe even parts of our old bunk beds.

While I surveyed my supplies, Harin shuffled out, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “What are we working with here?” he asked as he pulled things out of shopping bags. The ring box tumbled out when he withdrew the pillows, clattering to the floor. I gasped, tackled it, and opened it up to make sure everything was okay. “Sorry, Giwook-ah. I forgot that was in there.”

“It’s okay!” I said, pushing the ring back into its slot. “Everything’s fine here. I’ll just… take it to the bedroom so it’s safe while we build.” I left Harin to his own devices for a moment while I retreated to the bedroom to put the ring away. I set it on top of our desk, then stared at the chair for a few seconds. It wasn’t truly a desk chair. It had no wheels. The back of the chair reached the base of my neck when I sat on it. It was, in a word, perfect. I maneuvered it out into the hallway and took it to the living room, placing it by the comforter on the floor. “I found a wall, see?”

“That’s awesome!” Harin enthused. “We need at least one more of those and one or two more blankets.” He unfolded the tie-dye blanket I had bought the day before. It was bigger than I expected, about the right size for our queen bed. “Maybe not. But get the chair that’s in our room. Maybe borrow a couple more from ONEUS. And find some heavy books or rocks or something. We have to weigh this blanket down.”

“On it!” I went to retrieve the chair from the hyungs’ bedroom. Hyungu was reading a book in his bunk. “Hyung!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing? This isn’t time for reading. You have a job!”

“I’m a shitty liar,” he said. 

“Just go tell them I’m building a blanket fort and I need their chairs,” I said with a sigh. “Say they should come see it when I’m done.”

“You’re a better liar than I am.” Hyungu flipped his book closed and set it down on his bedspread. “Just a blanket fort? Nothing about Dongmyeong-ah?”

“Right,” I said, dragging the chair to the living room. “Not a word about Dongmyeong-ah. Do you have heavy books?”

“I have a few.” He rubbed his chin. “Do you want to borrow my college textbooks?”

“If I may, I will regard you as a god for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t… do that. Just take my books and quit being weird.”

I returned to the living room to find Harin rearranging the furniture. He had moved the low table to its old place by the wall in the kitchen and was in the process of turning the sofa around backwards. “We don’t need extra chairs if we do this,” he said. 

“So  _ now _ what do I tell ONEUS?” Hyungu whined.

“Comeback release party,” Harin said. “Just like we talked about last night. Just bribe them with soju and snacks. Tell them I made another crepe cake. Whatever will get them here, right, Giwook-ah?”

“Right,” I said. I grabbed one end of the sofa and Harin and I moved it together. “As long as you don’t breathe a word about the engagement. At least, I hope it’ll be an engagement. It could just turn out to be me having my heart broken.”

“Don’t start thinking that way,” Harin scolded. “It’ll mess with your head and you’ll lose your nerve.” We pushed the sofa against the wall and moved my comforter over into the space where the table used to be. Hyungu put his shoes on and left, on his way over to talk to ONEUS. We put the chairs over on the end of the blanket opposite the sofa, with their backs facing it, and I opened up the boxes of fairy lights. I put batteries in the battery packs and wrapped the wire around the chair backs. “Aww, cute,” Harin commented. “You’ll have your own stars.” We draped the rainbow blanket over the whole thing and it sagged in the middle. We pulled it taut and weighed it down on the chairs with Hyungu’s textbooks. “Try it out,” Harin said.

I crawled under the rainbow blanket and sat on our soft comforter. “It’s nice in here,” I said, smiling to myself. “I don’t know why I haven’t built a blanket fort in so many years. I should do this more often.” The rainbow blanket slipped out from under Hyungu’s books and engulfed me. “Oh. Okay, never mind.” I extracted myself from the blanket’s cozy grip and looked helplessly at my hyung. “What do we do now?”

“More books,” he said. Hyungu reentered the apartment. “More books!” Harin demanded, turning around and pointing at Hyungu.

“I don’t have that many more,” Hyungu said. “I can go ask for some from ONEUS. Youngjo is a reader.” He was immediately back out the door. 

Harin and I replaced the blanket the way it was before and waited for Hyungu to come back with more books. He came back with more than books. Six boys filed into the apartment behind him. “Yay! Release party!” Hwanwoong wailed.

“Not yet!” Hyungu said, shushing the smallest among us. “I told you guys, Yonghoon-hyung and Dongmyeong-ah are still out buying the snacks and drinks. You could have been patient.”

“Cool blanket fort,” Youngjo said. He held a stack of books in his arms. “These are for you. Please be careful with them.” He set half of the stack down on each of the chairs, right on top of the textbook on each one. 

“You are a lifesaver,” I sighed. I flipped part of the blanket up to make a sort of door to the inside of the fort. “Everybody stay out of my fort though! I’ll be right back.”

“He’s gonna be a blanket fort troll,” Harin said.

I ran to the bathroom to take a fast shower, making a mental note to buy more shampoo the next time I went out. Then I dressed in ripped jeans and my pride t-shirt. I took the ring out of its box and slipped it into the pocket of my jeans, then swiped the pillows from our bed. I grabbed my laptop and took everything out to the living room, only dropping one pillow on the floor. I kicked it the rest of the way to the living room. It must have been comical to watch because everyone was laughing at me. “Out of my fort,” I commanded, staring down at Dongju who had made himself comfortable right in the fort’s doorway. “ _ My  _ fort.” He crawled out of the way and I added the pillows from our bed, as well as the two colorful throw pillows that looked nice with the rainbow blanket. I set my laptop on the comforter and went back to the bedroom to get Dongmyeong’s favorite throw blanket, a plush blue one that was big enough to wrap around both of us. I set it up with the pillows and turned on the fairy lights on the chair backs. It felt so cozy and safe. I barely crawled out in time to see the door beginning to open.

Yonghoon led the way, carrying a couple of bags from a shoe store and a clothing store. Now  _ that  _ was commitment to the conspiracy. He actually purchased things. I didn’t expect him to. 

Dongmyeong came next with a bag from the mart down the street. He paused, looking around, clearly confused by what he saw before him. He was wearing the same shirt as me. We didn’t plan it. I took a step forward. I looked into his pretty doe eyes and my voice almost caught in my throat, but I managed to speak. “Myeong-ah,” I began, “nae sarang. We need to talk.” His eyes widened. “Put that bag down somewhere, please.” He took his shopping bag into the kitchen and set it on the counter, then met me in the middle of the room.

“We need to talk…” he echoed. “In front of everybody? Giwook-ah, what are you doing?”

“Proving it,” I said. I took his hands and looked at them. When had mine grown bigger? I looked back at his eyes. “Just let me speak.” He nodded and I took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what’s going to come out. I didn’t plan anything specific to say to you, so bear with me. I know I usually have all the words, but I was busy building this fort for you today.” Harin cleared his throat. “Harin-hyung and I built this fort,” I amended. “Anyway… I told you yesterday that I’m committed to what we have, and you, in your jealousy, demanded that I prove it. So, let’s rewind a bunch. You remember when I met you and Dongju-yah, yes? Right after my family moved to the apartment next to yours?” I smiled at the memory. “You guys came knocking down the door, wanting so badly to play with the new neighbor boy.”

Dongmyeong smiled a little and squeezed my hands.

“We became best friends that very day, I think,” I said. “Wasn’t that what we agreed on?”

“Yeah,” Dongmyeong said, voice barely above a whisper. “I asked if you wanted to be best friends and you said you never had one before.”

“And that I would like nothing more,” I finished for him. “And we’ve been inseparable ever since. I’ve always known you were in my life for a reason, that we were part of each other somehow. I didn’t know how until last fall. And I know this sounds crazy, especially since I don’t have much experience with love, but I’m desperate to keep you in my arms forever. Now that I have you, I can’t imagine anything else.” I let go of his hands and dug into my pocket, palming the ring so he wouldn’t see it until I was ready. “You’re the last thing I see every night and the first I see every morning. You are… the extra strawberries on my souffle pancakes?” Dongmyeong giggled. “I know things won’t always be easy for us, but I’m willing to work as hard as I have to for you.” 

I revealed the ring, holding it between the thumb and forefinger of my left hand. I’ve never heard Dongju gasp like he did when he realized what I was doing, but he stayed quiet, leaning back against Geonhak, who had wrapped himself around the maknae. His brother, standing before me, covered his mouth with his hand. “What are you doing, Giwook-ah?”

“We’ve only been dating a few months, but the love has been there since the beginning,” I said. “I never thought I’d say these words to a guy but, Dongmyeong-ah, nae sarang, my starry-eyed prince… the moment the law changes, I want to be first in line with you right beside me. Will you marry me someday?”

“Are you joking?” he breathed.

I shook my head. “No. Here, I’ll go full-on western-style.” I dropped to my knee in front of him. “Marry me.”

“I… I…” Dongmyeong stammered, staring down at me, stunned. “Yeah. Yes!” Tears spilled down his cheeks as he grinned at me. “Let’s do it, Giwook-ah!” 

I slipped the ring onto his left hand. “It’s our birthstone,” I said as he studied it.

“It’s gorgeous. Come here.” Dongmyeong put his arms around my neck. “I’m sorry I was an asshole. I really thought about breaking up today. I thought you were still mad and I wasn’t worthy of all the love you give me.”

“Are you kidding?” I rubbed my nose on his. “If anything, you deserve better.” I dipped my head slightly, capturing his perfect lips in a slow kiss. 

“Woohoo!” Yonghoon yipped, clapping his hands. The rest of our friends followed suit. 

We pulled apart and I wiped a tear from Dongmyeong’s cheek. “No more of that,” I said. “Never, ever again. Until one of us dies. Then the other is allowed to cry. And let’s be real here, I’m going first. I’m your lazy, fight-picking dumbass.”

“Shut up,” Dongmyeong laughed, kissing me again. 

“The fort is for you,” I said when we broke apart again. “Let’s go inside? We can watch cartoons and cuddle.”

“Sounds like… my ideal honeymoon,” he replied. 

We crawled into the fort. “Somebody wanna get the door, please?” I asked. Harin stepped forward and flipped the blanket down to hide us.

“Hey, we’re all going to ONEUS’ apartment,” Yonghoon said. “Don’t get too, you know, excited in there. We might come back any moment.”

The apartment door opened and closed, and we were alone in silence inside our little fort. I wrapped the throw blanket around us and we leaned back against the pillows that were propped up against the back of the sofa. “I love the fairy lights,” Dongmyeong commented, snuggling into my side. “We’re really engaged now?”

“Mhm,” I replied, opening my laptop. We picked a cartoon to binge and just lay there and cuddled, enjoying each other’s company. I kissed the top of his head and caught the scent wafting from his hair. “Did you use my shampoo?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I bought you more. It’s in the bag in the kitchen. And some banana cream Choco Pies. I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

“I don’t care about yesterday,” I said. “Yesterday is history.” I tilted his chin up and he looked at me. “The future is in your eyes.”

“You absolute fucking cheese,” Dongmyeong groaned. He lifted his head and kissed me. “Let’s live in a blanket fort someday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end! There will be an epilogue!


	31. Chapter 31

Dongmyeong ~*~

The room was thick with a loud buzzing sound. The sensation on my inner left forearm felt like burning. I let out a short whimper when the needles hit a particularly tender spot. Giwook squeezed my right hand. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?” he asked with a teasing smile. “I barely felt mine.” My eyes shifted to his inner right forearm and the lobster pink skin that surrounded the freshly-inked design, now under a protective wrap.  _ Yeah, right, I bet it didn’t hurt.  _ I looked back down at my own arm, watching the same design come to life in jet black ink. We chose a simple design - line art of two hands twisted together in an embrace, looking much like ours when we link up while we walk - but our location was a particularly sensitive area for most people, me included. I picked my left arm because Giwook is left-handed. He picked his right arm because I’m right-handed.

The skin that the tattoo gun had touched raised and puckered; the areas surrounding it turned red and angry. Every time our artist wiped away the excess ink from my arm, a bit of blood went with it. The artist hit another tender spot and I brought Giwook’s fingers to my mouth, stifling another whine. “Sorry,” she said, her tone sweet and comforting. “I’m being as gentle as I can, Dongmyeong-ssi. You’re doing a great job of keeping still for me.” She dipped the end of the tattoo gun in ink and brought it back to my arm. “We’re almost done. Then I’ll wrap you up like Giwook-ssi and you can focus on keeping it clean and happy until it heals.”

I nodded and she resumed her work. Her hand was steady, the lines crisp and clear. Confident. She had a lot of talent. “Am I the biggest crybaby you’ve ever tattooed?” I asked half-jokingly.

“Oh, no,” she replied with a smile. “I had a guy about twice your size last week. He cried while I was working on the shading on his backpiece.” She wiped my arm one more time, studied the design closely, and then properly cleaned it off. “And you are all done, Dongmyeong-ssi! Have a look.” I did. It was a perfectly minimalistic design. “It’ll look better when the swelling and redness go away.” She covered my fresh tattoo in the same clear film that protected Giwook’s and gave us instructions for taking care of them. We paid her, thanking her profusely. “Hey, it was my honor, guys,” she said as she put the cash away in the till. “I feel lucky to have worked on your matching tattoos. But you know this means you  _ have  _ to stay together now, right?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Giwook said. We bid the artist farewell and stepped out into the rain outside the tattoo parlor. “Ah, it wasn’t supposed to rain today!” Giwook’s left arm found its way around my shoulders and we speed-walked down the street, ducking under a bus stop shelter. I sat on the bench and gently prodded the edges of the film covering my tattoo, willing the adhesive to hold when it was wet. 

“You know what else I want to do sometime?” I asked. Giwook plopped down next to me and tilted his head, waiting for me to go on. “I want my nose pierced. Wouldn’t that look cool?”

He took my chin in his hand and turned my head to face him. “That would be pretty hot,” he remarked. “Might make it hard to do this though.” At that, he rubbed his nose on mine. My face flushed, my stomach filled up with butterflies, and I giggled. Giwook dipped his head and pecked my lips. “I fully respect any crazy body modifications you want to get in the future.”

“Nothing crazy,” I said as the bus pulled up. We stood, ready for the door to open. “Just a nose stud. You have like, six ear piercings.” 

Several people stepped off the bus and covered their heads, rushing to nearby buildings. We got on. It was a crowded bus, so we stood together, clutching a yellow pole. There was a bus stop close to RBW. That was our destination.

We walked from the bus stop to the company campus. When we arrived, we saw that our instruments had been packed up tightly for the plane ride. They waited at the curb, ready to be picked up and transported to the airport. “World tour!” Yonghoon cried as he stepped out of the building. He pranced around us in a circle, chanting, “World tour! World tour!” He stopped in front of us and threw his arms around both of us. “Can you guys believe it? How are the tattoos? Are they sore? Will you be able to take care of them on tour? Maybe you should have waited until we came home.”

“We’ll be fine,” I said. I turned my arm over to give him a good look at the fresh ink.

“That’s some really beautiful work,” he said. “Is that what they’re doing these days? Putting a clear film over tattoos? My mom’s tattoo was gauzed and wrapped up in a bandage when she got it.”

“Your mom has a tattoo?” Giwook said. “I’ve never seen it.”

“Oh, yeah,” Yonghoon confirmed. “It’s on her leg. It’s my name. I was a kid when she got it.”

“That’s really sweet,” I said.

“So, you guys are branded forever,” Yonghoon said. “Most couples consider that a curse. Like, they’ll get matching tattoos or name tattoos and break up a week later. Not that I’m trying to jinx you! I’m sure you’re the exception to the rule!”

“Shut up,” I laughed.

* * *

^o^-> CyA

“You guys owe me  _ so  _ much babysitting for this,” Seungjin said as he squeezed into his seat on the plane. Yeah, he’s an official ONEWE crewmember.

“With pleasure,” Dongmyeong smiled. “I love your kids.” 

We babysat Seungjin’s little girl Mina while her baby brother was being born. She didn’t seem to miss her parents at all. She behaved for us. I even got her to go down for a nap. Ever since then, we were Seungjin’s first choice when he needed babysitters. And while Minsoo was a handful, as new babies tend to be, we managed pretty well with him too. Mina favored me. When we babysat, Minsoo would cry until he was in Dongmyeong’s arms.

I put my head on my fiance’s shoulder. He opened his phone’s camera and flipped it into selca mode, stretching his arm out in front and above us. “Smile, jagiya,” he said. I did. “This is going on Instagram. I can’t believe we’re going to the U.S.” He sighed. “This just doesn’t even feel real.”

I totally understood. My whole body was buzzing the way it always did before takeoff. It was that weird blend of excitement and terrible nervousness, with a dash of fear thrown in for good measure. It was the same feeling I always had when I was growing up, defying my parents. That time I snuck off my high school campus with a couple of older boys to smoke a cigarette, which I absolutely hated, I had the same feeling. 

“Does anybody else feel really weird?” Hyungu asked from beside me. “Like when you get on a rollercoaster?”

“Or you’re learning to drive,” Harin threw in.

“Or you’re getting blown behind a concert venue,” Yonghoon added. “I mean, not that I would know. I’m just… assuming… it’s a similar kind of… hey, we should be taking off any minute now!”

“No comment, hyung,” Dongmyeong said, patting Yonghoon’s knee. “Just… no comment.”

“I can’t wait to see southern California,” I said. “Do you guys know how much incredible music has come from there?”

We were instructed to fasten our seatbelts as the plane taxied down the runway. “Oh, God,” Seungjin groaned. “I hate planes. I hate planes. Fuck me, I hate planes.”

“Hyung, it’s okay,” Yonghoon said. “Close your eyes and we’ll be back on the ground before you know it.”

So began another brand new adventure. Eleven and a half kilometers in the air, with my fingers laced in between Dongmyeong’s, my body finally stopped buzzing with adrenaline. Time to enjoy the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually crying. I can't believe this is the end.  
> Well, it's not. Not really.  
> My next story will be an indirect sequel!  
> Thank you all so, SO much for coming along for the ride. I hope to see everyone again in the next book.
> 
> Horny Smut-lovers: Do you also want a finale chapter in Fade To Black? I can write one for you.
> 
> I don't have Twitter, like a lot of other authors here, but we can be Instagram mutuals and you can feel free to message me there. I'd be happy to hear from you while I work on the next story. Just search for @socialnabi

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! You read them, I keep them coming. Promise. 
> 
> Kisses!
> 
> -Rose


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